The Mogadishu Mile

Something that impresses me about the Army is their stronger sense of brotherhood, and honoring thier fallen and the "never shall I fail my comrades" attitiude. I'm not saying that doesn't exist in all branches....but when you take a bunch of people, throw them out side the wire for a year at a time.....it just seems that the "glue" holding the unit together is a little strongerthan perhaps other units.

Maybe since the Army's deployments are longer... Maybe because the hardships are greater..whatever the reason....But there is a definate brotherhood unlike any i have seen, and it often extends beyond the boundaries of intraservice rivalry. The first time i was really struck with this was a few years ago while i was at Osan Ab in Korea. I was there for a few months tdy, for manning assist. I was billeted in a hotel downtown, while the others i worked with were staying in the barracks on the base. I would often go out with the guys to have a few drinks at the clubs out side of the base. My hotel was not always on thier way home from whatever bar were at when we decided to call it a knight. Also not all of us would always turn into pumkins at the same time. So they would take turns with the "big brother" responsibilities of making sure i got to the hotel okay.

One day our group got split up and i found myself with a bit of a hike.....unescorted.There was a group of guys walking the other way on the other side of the street. One called out to me & then came running over. He asked "where are your freinds?... You shouldn't be walking around at night by yourself it isn't safe". After a breif discussion, he said he would walk me back to the hotel, and told his freinds to go on with out him. I said he didn't have to walk me back, especially since it is in the opposite direction that the was going but he insisted.

He was a soldier in the army at a nearby base, i found out as we walked to the hotel. He was a nice guy average build, brown hair and blues eyes ...kinda plain looking but when he talked about something his whole face litup. I will be honest, at 1st when he approached me to walk me home... i thought to myself "oh boy... he just wants to hit on me..." Only I was wrong. He didn't. He didn't say or do anything to make me even remotely think that was his intention. He was just a kind person who seemed genuinely concerned about my safety. In fact so much so that it impacted me so greatly that it has alot to do with why i "do the things i do"even still...

So ten years later, still inspired by the kindness of a stranger, i was
visiting the patients at the hospital, When i ran into another soldier who would again leave a profound impact on me. Today i was talking to John. He had reddish brown hair, and lighter skin that probably didnt do well in the desert sun. He was tall with a medium build but, then most people seem tall to me. He was young...they mosttly all are....war is pretty much a young mans sport.

He had been at the hospital a few days and i teased him instead of babied him 'cuz that's what "the guys" would do. I knew it must suck to be at an airforce base....without family....without freinds....where you know noone, and you are young....and while something pretty scary is happening to your body. Otherwise you wouldn't be there.

This soldier, John..was an infantry man, too. He said he had been out there in iraq at the begining of the war with his buddies for 6 months, before he returned home and was now sent to redeploy. I asked him what it was like, and he looked at me paused as he thought for a second.....and then his eyes lit up and he said just one word ..."adrenalin" and then he went on excitedly... never really even stopping to breath..."Theres just no other way to describe it, really... it's just adrenaline...it's addictive..."

At the end of his rant he mentioned that..."but those days are over"...
and i asked him ...." why..."?

and he said he was out here for trainup when he fell out because he had a seizure. That was a few day ago, and he got a little choked up when he said that today ...was the day his guys (the ones he was in combat with) were rolling out with out him. I told him that had to suck....and how i couldnt imagine that.... he could sense my sincerity. He looked at me a bit surprised and he said "Not many people understand that, ....the brotherhood..." . And he went on to say that others, from home mostly think he should be glad to be leaving ... that he won't have to deal with all "the evils of war". "They don't get it", he said

That may very well be the biggest compliment i get in my lifetime.

You see combat MOS's are closed to females. That is neither here nor there. It is virtually impossible to describe...but it was like that gender gap was closed because of that little understanding. I guess that is the best i can do to describe it I asked where he was from... and he countered..."originally or stateside?"
"both"...i said He was wearing pt gear so i couldn't see division patches, etc

Well I'm With 10th mtn division out of ft drum, Newyork, but i grew up in San Francisco."

"Tenth mountain....oh.... the guys that saved the rangers."
"Yeah.... I know guys that were there" he said,referring to the battle of mogadishu (black hawk down book by Mark Bowden and more recently [but not as good]the movie)

And we talked for a little and i said how tragic it was.... and he firmly diagreed saying they kicked some major ass. And he said that they killed hundreds as opposed to the 19 of our own casulties. And i said i never looked at it that way...and i wasnt saying that those who fought , didn't do an amazing heroic job...and that they didn't give it their all..... It was in my opinion that we neve should have sustained so many casulties so close to base. The battle took place only 3 miles from the base. I told him it was my opinion that it was a command error, and we should have have been better prepared for contingencies. But i am an aircraft mechanic..This is not my feild of expertise. And then to stress my point, i mentioned how i had read that one guy was told to stay put to wait for the rescue convoy from tenth mtn.
But by the time it arrived it was so full of wounded that he and some others actually ended up running.....!underfire! all the way back to base.

He looked at me and he said... "the mogadishu mile.......we do it every year"
he must have seen the confusion in my expression because he then elaborated... saying ..."yeah every year we grab all our gear, & put on full packs and run the mogadishu mile...the whole battalion (i think he said bn) "

So there i was in the hospital, with a new freind...and some wisdom gained... a few insignificant things that struck me and will always remain very significant to me. I hope i was successful at conveying that significance to you.


So to all those brave men who fought the good fight that Oct 3 , 11 years ago...and all those who gave their all in ANY battle-- You Are Not Forgotten. And YOU are why i serve. RIP