"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions"
~ William Shakespeare ~
On September 11, 2001 arab terrorists crashed two hijacked planes into the towers of the World Trade Center. Both towers were destroyed and thousands of people were killed and injured.
A third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, causing the death of members of the military and civilian federal employees.
A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of all those aboard.
These hijackings and terrorist attacks were funded by Osama bin Laden and carried out by the
Al Quaida terrorist network.
President George W. Bush acted quickly, deploying troops to Afghanistan in order to thwart terrorists from continuing the reign of terror that had been unchallenged during the previous administration.
1993 - World Trade Center bombed
1993 - US Embassy in Peru bombed
1995 - Two US Diplomats in Pakistan killed
1995 - US Embassy in Russia bombed
1995 - US base in Saudi Arabia bombed
1996 - US Embassy in Greece bombed
1997 - Five US Diplomats in Pakistan killed
1998 - US Embassy in Lebanon bombed
1998 - US Embassy in Kenya bombed
1998 - US Embassy in Tanzania bombed
Terrorist Attacks Committed Against U.S. Diplomatic and Military Personnel
Sovereign United States territory was repeatedly attacked, citizens of the United States were repeatedly killed, yet the administration in the White House between 1992 and 2000 did nothing to effectively deal with terrorism. The failure of that administration to act lead to the terrible tragedy of September 11, 2001.
"To every man, there comes that special moment, when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared and unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour"
~ Winston Churchill ~
On 3 October 1993 members of the United States Army Delta Forces and Rangers were engaged in a pitched battle against rebel forces on the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. The mission had been to extricate rebel leaders and was thought to have been completed within an hour.
Having met heavy rebel opposition, the 18 hour battle resulted in the loss of 18 soldiers, with scores of injured. Four Black Hawk helicopters were also shot down by rebel forces, two of them crash landing in the combat area. One pilot was taken prisoner and held by rebel forces.
The command had requested armored vehicles and AC-130 gunships as support for Task Force Operations. Those requests were denied by the Clinton administration, so Task Force Ranger did the best they could with the equipment they had. The lack of equipment hampered the missions.
Although the Rangers and Delta Forces sustained heavy casualties, they had accomplished their objective, having taken important rebel leaders prisoner. The mission was accomplished, but the downed helicopter crews needed to be rescued, wounded soldiers needed to be evacuated.
Please visit this web page to learn more about the men and mission ...
Clinton pulled United States troops out of Somalia soon after this engagement. It is commonly known that Osama bin Laden supplied weapons and financial support to these rebels. The terrorists that attacked the United States have maintained training camps in Somalia for years.
Had Clinton and his administration properly supported their troops on the ground in Somalia with the resources necessary to carry out their mission in that country, we would not be faced with the prospect of sending United States troops back to East Africa ten years later.
The courage and heroism of the Rangers, Delta Forces, Night Stalkers, and 10th Mountain Division is legendary and are the focus of the book and movie "Black Hawk Down". The most important factor in this battle was the willingness these soldiers had to fight for the man to their left and the man to their right. Once rounds started flying, politics went out the door. These men were fighting for their lives, the lives of their friends and fellow soldiers.
