Randall "Randy" David Shugart ( born Randall "Randy" David Shughart ; August 13, 1958 , Lincoln , Nebraska - October 3, 1993 , Mogadishu ) - a member of the American special forces unit " Delta ", who died in the battle in Mogadishu during the UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia . Posthumously awarded the highest military award of the United States - Medals of Honor .
| Randall David Shugart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Randall David Shughart | |||
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| Nickname | Randy | ||
| Date of Birth | August 13, 1958 | ||
| Place of Birth | Lincoln (Nebraska) | ||
| Date of death | October 3, 1993 (35 years old) | ||
| Place of death | Mogadishu ( Somalia ) | ||
| Affiliation |  USA | ||
| Type of army | ground troops | ||
| Years of service | 1975 - 1993 | ||
| Rank |  Master sergeant | ||
| Part | 1st Special Operations Detachment "Delta" | ||
| Battles / wars | US invasion of Panama The Battle of Mogadishu (1993) | ||
| Awards and prizes |
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Randy Shugart was born on August 13, 1958 . His father served in the US Air Force , and after completing his service, the family moved to Newville, PA , to live and work on a dairy farm. In 1976, after graduating from school, Shugart joined the US Army , where he received basic and additional infantry training, graduated from the airborne school and the ranger school, and served in the 2nd battalion of the 75th ranger regiment . Later he left the service and signed up again to be accepted into the elite unit of the Delta army special forces.
In August 1993, a 1st grade sergeant, Shugart, along with his comrades, was sent to Mogadishu ( Somalia ), with the task of capturing the leader of one of the local groups, Mohammed Aidid . On October 3, he took part in the next raid as part of a group of snipers of three people, led by Gary Gordon . The group was on board the helicopter, covering ground units from the air. During the raid, American forces were unexpectedly attacked by militants with overwhelming numerical superiority. After the second MH-60 helicopter was shot down, the situation completely got out of control, as the commander of the operation no longer had reserves to ensure the safety of the crew of another helicopter. Gordon asked the command to allow the landing of him and Shugart near the wreckage of the second helicopter. His request was rejected several times, but was eventually approved. Upon arrival, the snipers pulled out the surviving pilot from the cockpit, and then organized a circular defense, protecting him from hundreds of armed militants together. Schugart is officially believed to be the first to die, but in the book The , suggests that Gordon was killed first. The helicopter pilot surrendered.
In May 1994, Randy Shugart and Harry Gordon were posthumously awarded Medals of Honor. These were the first presentations of this award since the Vietnam War (since 1972).
In honor of Shugart, a US Navy transport ship is named.
In the film “ The Fall of the Black Hawk, ” actor Johnny Strong played the role of Shugart.
See also
- Gordon, Gary Ivan
- Operation Continuing Hope