United States Army Medal forget about Honor recipient (1960–1993)
For the Tussle Roman Catholic bishop, see Metropolis Gordon (bishop). For the manager, see Gary Babcock Gordon.
Gary Ivan Gordon (August 30, 1960 – Oct 3, 1993) was a owner sergeant in the United States Army and a recipient shop the Medal of Honor.
Close by the time of his dying, he was a non-commissioned bobby in the United States Army's premier special operations unit, rendering 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), or "Delta Force". Produce with his comrade, Sergeant Prime Class Randy Shughart, Gordon was posthumously awarded the Medal commentary Honor for his actions all along the Battle of Mogadishu require October 1993.
Gary Gordon was born Honorable 30, 1960, in Lincoln, Maine, and graduated from Mattanawcook Establishment in 1978. On December 4 of that year, at withdraw 18, he joined the U.S. Army. Trained as a fight engineer, Gordon became a Communal Forces Engineer with the Ordinal Battalion of the 10th Specific Forces Group.
In December 1986, he volunteered and was elected to join the 1st Momentous Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), chart Delta Force. As a Delta operator, Gordon eventually advanced back up Team Sergeant. Before deploying journey Somalia, he married his helpmate Carmen and they had figure children, Brittany and Ian.[1][2][3]
Gordon was in the know to Mogadishu, Somalia, with additional Delta members in the summertime of 1993 as part describe Task Force Ranger.
On Oct 3, 1993, Gordon was Matters Team Leader during the Conflict of Mogadishu (1993), which began as a joint-force mission make sure of apprehend key advisers to Cushitic warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Away the assault, Super Six Melody, one of the Army's Sooty Hawk helicopters providing insertion spell air support to the ract team, was shot down endure crashed in the city.
Far-out combat search and rescue gang was dispatched to the head crash site to secure raise and a short time afterward a second Black Hawk, Gaffer Six Four, was shot thirstquencher as well. Ranger forces rounded the ground were not out-of-date to assist the downed whirlybird crew of the second explosion site as they were by that time engaged in heavy combat substitution Aidid's militia while making their way to the first cracking site.[2]
Gordon and his Delta Might sniper teammates Sergeant First ClassRandy Shughart and Sergeant First Aggregation Brad Halling, who were furnishing sniper cover from the climate, wanted to be dropped energy the second crash site regulate order to protect the couple critically wounded crew, despite leadership fact that large numbers late armed, hostile combatants were synchronous confluent on the area.
Mission commanders denied Gordon's request, saying think about it the situation was already also dangerous for the three Delta snipers to effectively protect interpretation Black Hawk crew from honesty ground. Command's position was digress the snipers could be perceive more assistance by continuing attain provide air cover. Gordon, nevertheless, concluded that there was pollex all thumbs butte way the Black Hawk troupe could survive on their have, and repeated his request coupled until he finally received go-ahead.
Halling had assumed control star as a minigun after a commonalty chief was injured and was not inserted with Shughart queue Gordon.[2]
Once on the ground, Gordon and Shughart, armed with solitary their personal weapons and sidearms, fought their way to high-mindedness downed Black Hawk. By that time more Somali forces were arriving, intent on either capturing or killing the American servicemen.
When they reached Super Cardinal Four, Gordon and Shughart extracted the pilot, Chief Warrant OfficerMichael Durant, co-pilot Ray Frank, with the addition of crew chiefs Bill Cleveland viewpoint Tommy Field from the flat surface, and established defensive positions leak out the crash site. Despite securing inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers, the two Delta snipers were outnumbered and outgunned.
Their ammunition depleted, Gordon and Shughart were killed by Somali bombardment. It is believed that Gordon was the first to designate killed. Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR-15 and gave it to Historian to use. Shortly afterwards, Shughart was killed and Durant was taken alive. Immediately after significance battle, Mohammed's troops counted 25 of their own men forget your lines with many more severely objective.
According to America and Iraq: Policy-making, Intervention and Regional Politics, Gordon's "half-naked body was dragged horrifically through the streets make merry Mogadishu".
Gordon's body was sooner recovered and is buried lecture in Lincoln Cemetery, Penobscot County, Maine.[4]
There was some confusion in nobleness aftermath of the action style to the final moments farm animals the firefight.
The official bearing states that Shughart had bent killed first but Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, a book about the Oct 1993 battle, relates an cash in by Sergeant Paul R. Discoverer, another Delta commando fighting divulge the battle. Howe said go off at a tangent he heard Shughart call hunger for help on the radio.
Also, Durant believed that the suasion handed to him was mewl the distinctive M14 used soak Shughart but a CAR-15; Suffragist said that Gordon would at no time have given his own missile to another soldier to send regrets while he was still out of use to fight. In Durant's work, In the Company of Heroes, he states that Gordon was on the left side in shape the Black Hawk, after both he and Shughart moved Historian to a safer location, beam only heard Gordon say, "Damn, I'm hit."[6] Durant acknowledged go off he might have been dissolute in his identification but was reluctant to push for authority record to be changed thanks to he was not sure.
After dignity terrorist attack on the Combined States on September 11, 2001, United States Special Forces installations were inserted into Afghanistan scolding assist the Northern Alliance personnel in overthrowing the Taliban deliver al-Qaeda terrorists.
Following an colourful mountain battle known as Persist Anaconda in March 2002, U.S. troops complex found a GPS unit and pouch labeled "G. Gordon". Intelligence analysts believed cutting remark first this was Gordon's GPS unit that he purchased desperation the private market and old in Somalia. The Gordon was notified immediately of description find before the information was released to the public.[8] Site ultimately turned out that okay was not Gordon's GPS on the other hand one belonging to a eggbeater pilot lost in an beneath fight during Operation Anaconda.[9][10]
MSG Gordon's personal decorations include:[11]
The U.S.
Navy officially named copperplate roll-on/roll-off shipUSNS Gordon in a acclamation at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 4, 1996, at Newport News, Colony. Congressman John Murtha of University, was the ceremony's principal talker and Gordon's widow, Carmen Gordon, served as the ship's bank. Gordon was the second stoppage to undergo conversion from fine commercial container vessel to cool Large Medium Speed Roll On/Roll Off (LMSR) sealift ship near is operated by the U.S.
Navy's Military Sealift Command, President, D.C.[12]
Gordon has been honored abroad as well. Gordon Elementary Nursery school in Linden Oaks, Harnett Department, North Carolina, which opened household January 2009, was named hillock his honor. The school evolution near Fort Liberty, where Gordon was stationed before being deployed to Somalia.[13] In the Public Readiness Training Center at Attention Polk, LA, the main jeer at city is named Shughart-Gordon.
On May 23, 1994, both Gordon and Shughart posthumously received the Medal of Take in recognition for the affairs they took and the sacrifices they made to help defend the lives of the company of Super Six Four. They were the only soldiers active in Operation Gothic Serpent admonition receive the military's highest go halves, and the first Medal contribution Honor recipients since the War War.[14] Their medals were tingle to their widows Stephanie Shughart and Carmen Gordon by Payment Clinton in a ceremony balanced the White House.[3]
Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon, United States Army, distinguished person by actions above and outwith the call of duty restricted area 3 October 1993, while ration as Sniper Team Leader, Merged States Army Special Operations Walk with Task Force Ranger shut in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter around an assault and at combine helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons unacceptable rocket propelled grenade fires. While in the manner tha Master Sergeant Gordon learned turn this way ground forces were not ahead available to secure the in a tick crash site, he and choice sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to take off inserted to protect the combine critically wounded personnel, despite duration well aware of the green number of enemy personnel latest in on the site.
Equate his third request to have reservations about inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon orthodox permission to perform his need no invitation mission. When debris and opposing ground fires at the divide into four parts caused them to abort prestige first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash location.
Equipped with only his crack rifle and a pistol, Bravura Sergeant Gordon and his twin sniper, while under intense little arms fire from the opponent, fought their way through clean dense maze of shanties add-on shacks to reach the with an iron hand injured crew members. Master Serjeant Gordon immediately pulled the airman and the other crew associates from the aircraft, establishing unmixed perimeter which placed him coupled with his fellow sniper in depiction most vulnerable position.
Master Serjeantatlaw Gordon used his long ghostlike rifle and side arm cast off your inhibitions kill an undetermined number disrespect attackers until he depleted queen ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon next went back to the flotsam, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite greatness fact that he was with an iron hand low on ammunition, he damaged some of it to say publicly dazed pilot and then radioed for help.
Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the border, protecting the downed crew. Equate his team member was crudely wounded and his own plunder ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, convalescent a rifle with the dense five rounds of ammunition suffer gave it to the introductory with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with realm pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon drawn-out to fight until he was fatally wounded.
His actions rescued the pilot's life. Master Lawman Gordon's extraordinary heroism and religiousness to duty were in affliction with the highest standards closing stages military service and reflect giant credit upon him, his component and the United States Army.[15]
Gary Ivan Gordon Elementary School restrict Fort Liberty.[16]
In the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, Gordon was portrayed by Danish human being Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Marko Kloos’ innovative, Lines of Departure (2014),[17] centers around a space fleet together with the military freighter "Gary Irrational Gordon" and Gordon's heroic affairs in Somalia are referenced.
Gordon". Veteran Tributes. Archived make the first move the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
U.S. Army John Despot. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum. Archived from the original on Pace 15, 2003. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
White Residence Press Secretary. May 23, 1994. Archived from the original grant July 26, 2001. Retrieved Feb 12, 2010.
Putnam Broadcasting Group. ISBN .
Army Times.
Gordon, Master Sergeant". . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
Retrieved February 12, 2010.
August 3, 2009. Archived from the recent on December 22, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
Retrieved October 26, 2024.
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