The Battle of the Black Sea in Mogadishu, Somalia — remembered as “Black Hawk Down” — began on October 3, 1993, as part of Operation Gothic Serpent. Task Force Ranger, made up of elite U.S. Special Operations Forces, launched a mission to capture Somali clan leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid. What started as a daylight raid quickly escalated into an intense 18-hour urban battle against heavily armed Somali militia. Two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and in the hours that followed, America

On this day in 1993, the Battle of Mogadishu began in Somalia and became well-known from the film Black Hawk Down. 18 U.S. soldiers were killed and 73 were left wounded after 18 hours of intense fighting. Despite the battle being viewed as a failure by the general public at the time, the mission was accomplished after they successfully arrested two members of Mohammed Farah Aidid’s clan. Major Jeff Struecker is a former U.S. Army Ranger who took part in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu and here he e