Mogadishu! - by Kent DeLong & Steven Tuckey (Paperback)

About the Book

Every American should read this book in order to gain a clear insight about military combat and war.

From the foreword by Ross Perot

Recommended for readers who enjoy suspenseful accounts of close combat.

Publishers Weekly

Most Americans remember...the two troubling televised images that follwed [the operation]....But there is more about that day that is told in this book and that should be known by Americans.

The Wall Street Journal

Among America's clearest memories of ongoing conflict in Somalia will certainly be the swollen, bloodied face of helicopter pilot Michael Durant, displayed on the international television news reports after his capture in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. While the failed mission leading to Durant's imprisonment captured the rage and anguish of the world, few Americans truly understood how many U.S. Army Ranger compatriots shared Durant's fortitude and courage there. Indeed, Durant was only one member of the elite Task Force Ranger Regiment deployed to apprehend Mohammed Farrah Aidid, Somailia's most powerful warlord on the fateful October day.

Here is the little-known story of the 15 fierce, deadly hours of fighting that followed the Americans tightly calibrated attempt to target Aidid. Moment by moment, Mogahishu! recounts how this mission, intended to deflate the heart of Somali resistance, became instead a tragic showcase for the heroism and breathtaking self-sacrifice of the American servicement--and the catalyst of U.S. withdrawal of peacekeeping troops. Mogadishu! reveals while the operation produced on the most decorated military units in American history, it cost 18 of America's best-trained servicemen their lives. Using rare testimony from other military personnel, Kent DeLong offers the first complete account of how these Americans died, not for glory but for each other, far from their loved ones in a God-forsaken place called Mogadishu.

Book Synopsis

Every American should read this book in order to gain a clear insight about military combat and war.
From the foreword by Ross Perot

Recommended for readers who enjoy suspenseful accounts of close combat.
Publishers Weekly

Most Americans remember...the two troubling televised images that follwed [the operation]....But there is more about that day that is told in this book and that should be known by Americans.
The Wall Street Journal

Among America's clearest memories of ongoing conflict in Somalia will certainly be the swollen, bloodied face of helicopter pilot Michael Durant, displayed on the international television news reports after his capture in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. While the failed mission leading to Durant's imprisonment captured the rage and anguish of the world, few Americans truly understood how many U.S. Army Ranger compatriots shared Durant's fortitude and courage there. Indeed, Durant was only one member of the elite Task Force Ranger Regiment deployed to apprehend Mohammed Farrah Aidid, Somailia's most powerful warlord on the fateful October day.

Here is the little-known story of the 15 fierce, deadly hours of fighting that followed the Americans tightly calibrated attempt to target Aidid. Moment by moment, Mogahishu! recounts how this mission, intended to deflate the heart of Somali resistance, became instead a tragic showcase for the heroism and breathtaking self-sacrifice of the American servicement--and the catalyst of U.S. withdrawal of peacekeeping troops. Mogadishu! reveals while the operation produced on the most decorated military units in American history, it cost 18 of America's best-trained servicemen their lives. Using rare testimony from other military personnel, Kent DeLong offers the first complete account of how these Americans died, not for glory but for each other, far from their loved ones in a God-forsaken place called Mogadishu.

Review Quotes

"Recommended for readers who enjoy suspenseful accounts of close combat." --Publishers Weekly

"Most Americans remember . . . the two troubling televised images that followed [the operation] . . . But there is much more about that day that is told in this book and that should be known by Americans." --The Wall Street Journal

"His dissection of the operation's disappointing results, and his suggestions about how American efforts might have been more effective, should stimulate pointed discussion at a time when the Congress is shying away from humanitarian and military commitments overseas." --The Stars and Stripes

"...the authors make each man a real human being and each loss its own tragedy. They also demonstrate what every soldier and marine knows, combat is very personal....This little action in Somalia is like so many others that go unnoticed in the great wars of our time. It was fierce and confused and painful. This is the value of this account." --Military and Naval History Forum Proceedings

About the Author

KENT DeLONG is an internal medicine physician practicing in southern California, and serves as the attending physician for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He is an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and the author of War Heroes: True Stories of Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients (Praeger, 1993).

STEVEN TUCKEY is the editor of a daily newspaper in southern California.