Baptist Church
Mogadishu Mile Kentucky
THE BATTLE
The Battle of Mogadishu: October 3-4, 1993
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On October 3rd, 1993, members of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force), supported by pilots and crew members from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Nightstalkers) and other SF units, descended into the city of Mogadishu, Somalia, to execute Operation “Gothic Serpent,” an attempt to apprehend key players in Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s dictatorship.
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While the initial mission went smoothly, things took a turn for the worse when two aircraft were shot down, forever coining the phrase “Black Hawk Down.”
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Determined to leave no man behind, and facing the task of securing the crash sites, Rangers and Deltas held their positions until the morning hours of October 4th. They were scattered at several locations throughout the city, under heavy fire, most of them wounded, and low on supplies.
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When help from the 10th Mountain Division finally arrived, the armored vehicles could not accommodate all of the soldiers. Some began their exit to a rally point on foot, under heavy fire, dehydrated, and sleep deprived, all of them wounded in one way or another. This has become known as the “Mogadishu Mile.”
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In honor and in memory of the 19 who fell in Mogadishu, Somalia from October 3-6, 1993, we call out their names:
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US Army Special Operations Command (Green Beret)
MSG Gary Ivan Gordon
SFC Randall David Shughart
MSG Timothy Lynn Martin
SFC Earl Robert Fillmore Jr
SFC Matthew Loren Rierson
SSG Daniel Darrell Busch
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160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) “Night Stalkers”
CW4 Raymond Alex Frank
CW4 Clifton Phillip Wolcott
CW3 Donovan Lee Briley
SSG William David Cleveland
SSG Thomas Joseph Field
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3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment
SGT James Casey Joyce
SGT Dominick Michael Pilla
SGT Lorenzo Manuel Ruiz
SGT James Edgar Smith
Cpl James Manuel Cavaco
SPC Richard Wayne Kowalewski
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10th Mountain Division
SGT Cornell Lemont Houston Sr
PFC James Henry Martin Jr
WHO WE SUPPORT
Three Rangers Foundation (TRF): TRF's annual Mogadishu Mile commemorates Task Force Ranger and remembers the fallen warriors of Operation Gothic Serpent.
Blue Skies for the Good Guys and Gals Warrior Foundation (BS3G): BS3G provides restorative, community-building experiences, through its Warrior Weekend to Remember, for combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families.
OUR STORY
The Mogadishu Mile Kentucky began in 2021, with written permission received from the President of the Three Rangers Foundation to our two original founding directors Troey Stout and Samuel Deeds, and we have held an event every year since. Our two original founding members are an U.S. Army veteran and a retired Combat Wounded Marine and Purple Heart recipient who both have a passion for remembering the fallen. In April 2025, we registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State as the Mogadishu Mile Kentucky LLC. Since our inception in 2021 beginning with only 12 teams, the Mogadishu Mile Kentucky has grown substantially and become an event organized by a full team of dedicated community members who also have a passion to honor and remember the fallen. We believe and subscribe to the fact that no one should ever profit personally from the death of U.S. Service members
