CWO Cliff ‘Elvis’ Walcott sacrificed his own life in a hard landing to save his crew & the Delta Force snipers aboard his blackhawk.

US Army Ranger Sgt Dominick Pilla was the first man to lose his life that day.

The men of callsign ‘Super 61’.

Elvis & Bull knew what they had to do. They sacrificed themselves in the hard landing to protect everyone else aboard. #heroes #operationgothicserpent

Mike Durant & Ray Frank: pilots of the second blackhawk down in the city. Only Durant survived. The task force men were engaged by so many hostiles they were unable to make it to the second crash site.

Delta force snipers Gary Gordon, and Randy Shughart, with limited ammunition, repeatedly volunteered to secure the crash site, alone, against the mob. When it became apparent that no one else would be able to reach Durant’s downed bird, command relented and approved.

They fought to the death defending the crash site and were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Mike Durant was captured & held hostage for 11 days.

In the wake of his ordeal, CWO Durant wrote a book about the events that took place from 3 Oct 1993 to 6 Oct 1993.

As the operation opened and men from the Ranger regiment fast roped in to secure the target building’s perimeter, junior man on the force Todd Blackburn missed the rope & fell 7 stories from the Blackhawk to the ground becoming the first casualty of the day. He survived. He was driven back to base through withering gunfire that took the life of Sgt Dominick Pilla.

Their story is one of heroism, courage, & the will to survive against any odds, & a brotherhood that’s about not letting down the man next to you. Today we remember, and honor, the men of #taskforceranger

#weremember #heroes #cag #theunit #taskforceranger #RLTW #neverquit #NSDQ #honor #operationgothicserpent