Lessons from Mogadishu: Kyle Lamb, Larry Perino, and Lee VanArsdale

[sniperfrog]

@ABNAK

I still remember watching the insertion of the very first U.S. forces into Somalia…SEALs who came ashore at night with TV cameras and lights greeting them on the beach! You could tell they weren’t happy about it, all tactical and shit but with some glaring light shining off of the dark camo on their faces. Kind of like “Get that f*****g light out of my face!”

I watched it live on the news. I was working the afternoon shift at a hospital. George the Elder was POTUS. I recall watching that spectacle and shaking my head.

Here ya go (you can find anything these days!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj9Fn3qG-Cw

Those were Force Recon Marines, not SEALs. The Marine commander of that opreration informed the media where his guys would be coming ashore so they can get pictures. It was supposed to be a show of force to the Somalis. Pretty dumb idea.

[Rogue556]

@Sam

There was at least one SEAL involved in that battle. Howard Wasdin was a SEAL Team 6 sniper, was heavily wounded in the battle and received a silver star for his actions.

I’m sure you already know this, but for anyone else interested his book SEAL Team Six covers a lot of what he did in Mogadishu. Pretty interesting read.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[ABNAK]

@sniperfrog

Those were Force Recon Marines, not SEALs. The Marine commander of that opreration informed the media where his guys would be coming ashore so they can get pictures. It was supposed to be a show of force to the Somalis. Pretty dumb idea.

I stand corrected (for some reason I thought it was SEALs, maybe because of the seaborne insertion). Either way I was like “WTF?” I had gotten out of the Army as a grunt maybe 5 years earlier and knew what a dog-and-pony show looked like.

[WillBrink]

@Sam

There was at least one SEAL involved in that battle. Howard Wasdin was a SEAL Team 6 sniper, was heavily wounded in the battle and received a silver star for his actions.

There were 5. Kaiser was with Waz and extracted him after being wounded and went back in as i understands it:

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/55878

Unfortunately, he recently lost his lower leg, but not due to combat related

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/retired-navy-seal-to-regain-footing-with-help-from-a/article_94343ebd-cf4d-53f5-b061-fd505b3c66ad.html

Saw him briefly today at the museum.

[Sam]

@WillBrink

There were 5. Kaiser was with Waz and extracted him after being wounded and went back in as i understands it:

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/55878

Unfortunately, he recently lost his lower leg, but not due to combat related

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/retired-navy-seal-to-regain-footing-with-help-from-a/article_94343ebd-cf4d-53f5-b061-fd505b3c66ad.html

Saw him briefly today at the museum.

That’s amazing that you get to see him. You work at the museum too right?

I’m sorry about the loss of his foot in the accident. That’s a hero all the way.

[WillBrink]

@Sam

That’s amazing that you get to see him. You work at the museum too right?

I’m sorry about the loss of his foot in the accident. That’s a hero all the way.

I’m a tour/answer guy on Sundays yes. Several member of M4C have come buy. Some day maybe an official M4C Fl chapter type visit should get formed up. It’s an awesome place and historically essential location to WWII where we trained for D Day and NSW, as well as OSS (which went on to be the CIA) was created. It’s also not far from KAC, but that’s not open to the public

[chuckman]

@ABNAK

I stand corrected (for some reason I thought it was SEALs, maybe because of the seaborne insertion). Either way I was like “WTF?” I had gotten out of the Army as a grunt maybe 5 years earlier and knew what a dog-and-pony show looked like.

If it was the SEALs there would be at least three more books and a movie.

ST6 was there, but for entirely different purposes.

[TexHill]

Here’s another video on the Battle of Mogadishu. This video is Michael Durant speaking in 2011 before the US Army War College about his experience during the battle and how it affected him. The video is also a little long, but it’s worth watching.

[video=youtube_share;p30dV6IEMO8]https://youtu.be/p30dV6IEMO8[/video]

[SteveS]

The U.S. military is not a winning organization. It is not the great enlisted people that are the problem.

[SeriousStudent]

@SteveS

The U.S. military is not a winning organization. It is not the great enlisted people that are the problem.

You know, Steve, I’m trying to think of a single positive contribution you have made here, and I’m coming up short. Why don’t you take a break and rest up for a while?