Mogadishu!: Heroism and Tragedy

by Kent DeLong, Steven Tuckey

Every American should read this book in order to gain a clear insight about military combat and war.
From the foreword by Ross Perot

Recommended for readers who enjoy suspenseful accounts of close combat.
Publishers Weekly

Most Americans remember…the two troubling televised images that follwed [the operation]….But there is more about that day that is told in this book and that should be known by Americans.
The Wall Street Journal

Among America's clearest memories of ongoing conflict in Somalia will certainly be the swollen, bloodied face of helicopter pilot Michael Durant, displayed on the international television news reports after his capture in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. While the failed mission leading to Durant's imprisonment captured the rage and anguish of the world, few Americans truly understood how many U.S. Army Ranger compatriots shared Durant's fortitude and courage there. Indeed, Durant was only one member of the elite Task Force Ranger Regiment deployed to apprehend Mohammed Farrah Aidid, Somailia's most powerful warlord on the fateful October day.

Here is the little-known story of the 15 fierce, deadly hours of fighting that followed the Americans tightly calibrated attempt to target Aidid. Moment by moment, Mogahishu! recounts how this mission, intended to deflate the heart of Somali resistance, became instead a tragic showcase for the heroism and breathtaking self-sacrifice of the American servicement--and the catalyst of U.S. withdrawal of peacekeeping troops. Mogadishu! reveals while the operation produced on the most decorated military units in American history, it cost 18 of America's best-trained servicemen their lives. Using rare testimony from other military personnel, Kent DeLong offers the first complete account of how these Americans died, not for glory but for each other, far from their loved ones in a God-forsaken place called Mogadishu.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Jon Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased my copy of this book used in hardcover at a local antique mall in February 2024. It's taken me almost a year to get around to reading it. It is a middling account of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia; given its copyright date of 1994 it was written and published within a year of the events, and the book certainly reads as if it were hastily assembled and rushed to press. Information is repeated again and again. The phrasing and writing style are odd. On the plus side, the book does cover the battle from many perspectives, even including a chapter on the personnel who refueled and re-armed the many helicopters that flew all night over the city trying to protect the trapped soldiers. There are many, many books out there on the Battle of Mogadishu (including Mark Bowden's famous "Black Hawk Down") and I would recommend that you start with some book other than this one if you want to learn more. Three out of five stars.

[Taddow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good started book on this engagement but Blackhawk Down was a more through and better researched book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer for those unfamiliar with the Battle of Mogadishu.