Gary Gordon - Wikipedia Shughart deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 as part of Task Force Ranger operations. Shughart was born August 13, 1958, in Lincoln, Nebraska, into a United States Air Force family of German descent. When superiors reluctantly approved the mission, Gordon grinned and gave a thumbs up, but Hallings had to stay behind to man the minigun because its operator was wounded. Who was the real hoot in Black Hawk Down? Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Vehicles roll out of the city. They set up a defense perimeter and gave Durant a rifle to protect their rear, since he was the only one in condition to help them. So now, lets talk about the build. SEAL Team 6, officially known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), and Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), are the most highly trained elite forces in the U.S. military. Were the bodies of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon recovered? Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart were the only soldiers participating in Operation Gothic Serpent (Battle of Mogadishu) to receive the militarys highest honor and the first Medal of Honor recipients since theVietnam War. Ray Dowdy and Staff Sgt. Deadly Price. When his other family needed him, he did not hesitate, as he would not have hesitated for us.". The heroic actions of Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart on October 3 ultimately saved Michael Durants life. I made a video about cloning the Gordon Carbine, too. Much of the food was hijacked by Mohamed Aidid's militia, and suddenly hundreds of thousands more Somalians were at risk of dying. During Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, Durant was the pilot of helicopter Super Six Four. His was the second MH-60L of two Black Hawk helicopters to crash during the Battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. It was intended to last an hour, but ended up extending into the next day. Not a surprise, since the Vietnam War was on TV every night. Editors Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. [1] According to Durant's book In the Company of Heroes, the Somalis counted 25 of their militia dead after the firefight. While its believed Gordon was the first to die, the official version states it was Shughart. Just know that my build is like the movie version but in aesthetics only. Randy Shughart would have been 60 years old today. Citation Reads:Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. MOGADISHU (Reuters) Somali insurgents dragged soldiers bodies through the streets of Mogadishu before burning them on Wednesday in heavy fighting that killed at least 16 people and injured scores more, witnesses said. The Somalis claimed 315 of their own died and 812 were wounded. Shughart was buried in Carlilse, Pennsylvania and Gordon in Penobscot County, Maine. Their names were MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randal (Randy) Shughart. [5], There was some confusion in the aftermath of the action as to who had been killed first. Their ammunition depleted, Gordon and Shughart were killed by Somali gunfire. Randy Shughart/Place of burial. He is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. Its not high like normal optic mounts for the M14 platform. The showdown pitted 160 special operations soldiers arriving in 19 helicopters and 12 vehicles against 3,000 Aidid men. Two Delta Force operators Master Sgt. [4] Command's position was that the snipers could be of more assistance by providing air cover. Despite having inflicted heavy casualties against the Somalis, the two Delta snipers were too outnumbered and outgunned. Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart and Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, were two Delta Force snipers who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. ", Suddenly Durant heard Gordon say, "Damn. Master SergeantGary Ivan Gordon was born on August 30, 1960, and died on October 3, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia. They volunteered for sniper cover for Super 6-4 - the second downed Black Hawk MH-60L - during the [] What is the white stuff in my gas fireplace? He joined the Army while attending Big Spring High School in Newville, entering upon graduation in 1976. On the beach near the base, a memorial was held for those who were killed in combat." 22 Then there is Chief Instructor Grant LaVelle, who has decades of experience training Marines, police officers and citizens alike. "He and Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Americans to receive our highest military decoration since the Vietnam War.". As for the Shughart M14, its an extremely iconic weapon, and Im proud to have one that resembles that legendary rifle. During the mission, a Black Hawk helicopter (Super Six-One) providing air support was shot down. Learn all the ways IBDs top investing tools can help you succeed in the market! Master Sgt. Randall (Randy) David Shughart held the rank of Seargent First Class in the United States Army and served in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. "When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site," his medal citation reads. Before we find you.". On that day, October 3, 1993, two American heroes Master Sgt. Its also not forward of the action like scout optics. Before deploying with his unit to Somalia, he married his wife Carmen, and together they had two children. In the movie, there is a single scope ring at the front of the receiver holding an Aimpoint CompM. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Shughart's body was recovered after several days. . The story and the iconic look of Shugharts M14 make it one of the most famous military firearms in cinematic history as well as military history. And on the GunSpot Academy, you can find high-quality original content. and our When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. The mission ultimately culminated in what became known as the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. As militants swarmed closer to the crash site, finally they were allowed to get on the ground. "Shughart-Gordon". Both mens bodies were recovered. . Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. Immediately after the battle, the Somalis counted 25 of their own men dead with many more severely wounded. Gary Gordon and Sgt. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. "If our people had cleaned it, they might've done a light sand blast at best, but they would actually do the painting of the engraved parts by hand," he added. Born into a US Air Force family, he joined the Army while in high school. Gary Gordon, however, concluded that there was no way the downed Black Hawk crew could survive on their own because they were outnumbered and critically wounded. A California-based mortuary service said it was highly unusual to conduct repairs or work on gravestones without notifying the family: "We don't do it unless the family requests it," the 30-year mortician said to Insider, adding that he did not want to be identified. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Make more money in stocks with 2 months of access to IBD Digital for only $20! They could have taken a belt of 7.62 ammo from the door gunner and delinked it. Shughart and Gordon were both awarded purple hearts and medals of honor for their bravery and sacrifice. It also should be noted that Shughart would have had an older Aimpoint, probably the Aimpoint 2000 according to my findings. Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart were deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger. On the first call, mission commanders denied their request to go there and protect the site of the downed helicopter until reinforcements arrived. . Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. With all of the ground forces still trying to help Super Six-One, there was no one left to help at the crash site of Super Six-Four. The Army master sergeant's third request to commanders was approved with this warning: Undaunted, Gordon and Randy Shughart a fellow Delta Force sniper went into the Mogadishu maze with guns blazing and took down a slew of terrorists. Gary Gordon and Sgt. In reality, the helicopter was not evading RPG fire, as portrayed in the movie. I pulled up a picture on Google of where the stripes were and attempted to match it. The Battle of Mogadishu | ASOMF Gordon's request was twice rejected by higher command due to the danger from the number of militants converging on the crash site. In December 1983, Shughart returned to active duty and the following year attended Special Forces training. They did that, even though large numbers of armed Somali militia were converging the area. Bush authorized the dispatch of U.S. troops to Somalia to assist with famine relief as part of the larger United Nations effort. Let me say when it came to my build, I made it match the M14 seen in the film the best I could, rather than what Shugharts rifle would have actually been like. The story of both Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon during Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu is one of bravery and sacrifice. "MSG Gary Gordon is not only a hometown hero for Lincoln, he's an American Hero," the police department said on social media. Then a second Black Hawk was shot down, and militia members and an armed mob converged on the site. The United Nations tried to aid with the resulting famine, but its food rations were seized by local warlords. He then drew his pistol and held off the attackers as long as possible, eventually being mortally wounded. The term M1A is a proprietary title for Springfield Armorys M14-pattern rifle. I used an Aimpoint PRO for the optic and I kept the original mount on the Aimpoint PRO; I just removed the spacer to make it sit lower. Later investigation and reconstruction concluded that Gordon was the first to be killed. Randall David Shughart (August 13, 1958 October 3, 1993) was a United States Army Delta Force operator who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu, during Operation Gothic Serpent in October 1993.