On October 3, 1993, about a hundred elite U. soldiers were dropped by helicopters into the teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was to abduct two top lieutenants of Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take an hour. Instead they found themselves pinned down through a long and terrible night fighting against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy badly injured.
On midafternoon, October 3 1993, task force Ranger composed with U.S. Army Ranger and Delta Force operators were about to be dropped in uninvited on a gathering of Habr Gidr clan leaders in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. This clan, led by warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, had picked a fight with the United States of America, and it was, without a doubt, going down. Today's targets were two of Aidids's top lieutenants. They would be arrested and imprisoned with a growing number of the belligerent clan's bosses on an island off the southern Somali Coast city of Kismayo. .
Waiting for the code word for launch, which for that mission was "Irene," they were a formidable sum of men and machines. There were four of the amazing AH-6 Little Birds, two-seat bubble-front attack helicopters that could fly just about anywhere. The Little Birds were loaded with rockets this time. Two would make the initial sweep over the target and two more would help with rear security. There were four MH-6 Little birds with benches mounted on both sides for delivering the spearhead of the assault force, Delta's C Squadron, one of three operational elements in the Army's top secret commando unit.
