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... ricans might trade all the captured Somalis for their pilot. Back at the first crash site they were trying to free Wolcotts body. They had begun moving the wounded into the house they had crashed into. At this point there were already more men down than the CSAR force could take out. It was growing dark and the soldiers had left their Night Observation Devices back at the hanger.
All of the vehicles had turned back to the base. When the convoy arrived they separated the injured from the fatally injured and dead. While this was going on, commanders inside the JOC were watching Somalis overrun the second crash site. Ninety nine men were pinned down in the city. A Black Hawk was ordered to drop water, ammo, and medical supplies, and to possibly pull two critical Rangers out, because it was looking like the men would have to stay over night. When darkness fell the amateur Somalis went home.
There was less firing but they were more accurate. At the site of the first wreckage as long as the soldiers showed no light there was no shooting. They could here promises to send a rescue team over the radio. A bit before midnight they finally heard them miles away. By midnight they knew the rescue was getting closer. It was nearly one hundred vehicles, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and Humvees.
Mike Durant also heard the convoy as they entered the city. He was bound with a god chain in a small room with no windows. The group that had originally taken Durant had given him to another group. This group was going to hold him hostage. News reached Washington early Sunday. The news was that two of Aidid's lieutenants were captured, two helicopters were down, lots of lead was flying, and some of the soldiers were stuck inside the city.
Clinton and the rest of America were ignorant of the drama in Mogadishu. Rescuers arrived at Durant's crash to find no sign of the pilots and crew men. They stayed at the site until Super Six Four was a ball of flame. Back at the first crash site rescuers were trying to free Wolcott from the wreckage. The dead were placed on top of the APCs and the wounded were loaded inside them. The vehicles did not move.
The men were trying to retrieve Wolcotts body from the wreckage. Daylight was breaking. At 5: 45 A. M. everything was done and it was time to pull out, but there was not enough room for all of the Rangers and D-boys.
The drivers took off and left some behind. They attempted to keep up with the trucks but were left behind. Somalis were dragging Americans bodies through the streets. Dead bodies lay everywhere.
Walls were stained with blood. Charred vehicles were on the streets and in alley ways. The rescued arrived at a soccer stadium. Doctors were treating the wounded on the field. One by one they were flown to the army hospital or back to the hanger. Americans awakened Monday morning to news reports of the fight in Somalia.
It still did not receive high status. The early reports said at least five soldiers were dead. Later in the day higher numbers and graphic images were aired. The men holding Michael Durant hostage asked if he would make a videotape. He said no, but they showed up with a camera crew anyway. He explained he was not an American Ranger but a pilot.
The world saw the tape the next day. A doctor came in to tend his wounds after the camera crew left. Then he was moved to a different location. The public grew aware of the situation in Mogadishu and were outraged. Congress was demanding withdrawal. In a six hour meeting on Wednesday it was clear that America would not pursue Aidid or his men any further.
The United States would completely withdraw by March 1994. A message that the President of the United States wanted the pilot released immediately was sent to Aidid. After a few days had passed Durant's fear of being executed or tortured had eased. He was given a small radio that he could listen to the BBC World Service on.
He received a visitor after five days of captivity. She was allowed to write a letter for Durant. Then two reporters came in. In the second week of Durant's captivity, he was moved again. He was given a box from the Red Cross. He made notes of his captivity in a pocket Bible he found in the box.
Aidid was told that President Clinton had demanded Mike Durant's release, unconditionally. The Somalis wanted to make a trade for some of their men. A message saying that if Durant was not released forces would come in after him and decimate the city. Aidid agreed to hand Durant over. The next morning Durant was washed. He was gently placed into the vehicle that took him to Red Cross officials.
It had been eleven days since he had entered Mogadishu for what was supposed to be a mission that would last only an hour. A doctor examined him and he was given a letters from his wife, Lorrie, and his parents. He held them tightly. The American survivors of the Battle of Mogadishu would be home within a month. Most did not agree with the decision to call off their mission. Eighteen men had been killed and seventy-three were injured.
Durant was the only man to survive from the Super Six Four crew. Several months later all of the captured Somalis were released. I enjoyed how each of the boys stories was included in the book. The author did not forget the individuals who fought in the mission. I believe that Mike Durant wanted to open Americas eyes to the realities of the fight in Mogadishu. This was even better accomplished when a movie, based on his book, was released in January 2002.
At times I did find the book hard to follow. There were a lot of things going on at once and the story seemed to jump around. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing the movie. Bowden, Mark.
Black Hawk Down A Story of Modern War. Penguin Group. New York, 2000.
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