Black Hawk Down Case Study
Black Hawk Down
On 24April 1992, the U.S. government led by President George H.W. Bush wishing to help the situation in Somalia approved Resolution 751. This resolution authorized the U.S. to provide humanitarian relief while establishing the United Nations’ operation in Somalia called UNOSOM. While there was progress in some cities it was apparent that much of the supplies that were intended to make it to the interior were hijacked by different local clans. With the failed attempts to feed the hungry the United States decided to airlift the food from Kenya to the interior of Somalia, bypassing the other ports and eventually reducing the need for convoys. This attempt was called Operation PROVIDE RELIEF and was an effort to use the …show more content…
U.S. logistics on how to supply the much needed food to the Somalis.
This effort did not stop the problems with distribution as the clans seized the supplies.
The chaotic situation continued, in which President Bush issued an order to send the U.S. Army Special Forces to investigate and recon the area in preparation for the remainder of the troops to arrive in country. With the understanding that the UN could not accomplish the mission alone the United States sends 1,300 Marines to aid with the food distribution. While peace was maintained by the U.S. forces for a while the U.S. government was working on another mission, passing Resolution 814, which gave the U.S. authority to intrude in the country’s affairs. This new Resolution was not well received by General Aidid, leader of the Somalia National Alliance, and in June 1993 the Somalia National Alliance Forces retaliated by killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. After this incident the United Nations approved a more aggressive military involvement, resolution 837, which provided them with more troops to deal with the Somali …show more content…
struggle. A warrant was issued for Aidid’s arrest and a 25,000 dollar reward was offered for him. Originally this mission was called Operation GOTHIC SERPENT, but for the rest of the world it was known as Black Hawk Down as director Ridley Scott brings this story to life in his film. In my opinion this film was made to set the record straight as the graphic images on television were making the United States military look ridiculous and incompetent. In a testosterone filled film the director shows how the United States military sent our elite units to a sudden death. Maybe his intentions were to set the record straight but I believe the result was the opposite, a film full of gore, suffering, despair, and desperation. The film takes the viewer to a foreign land, Somalia, where people are starving. In the first scene we can see a man wrapping a dead body and placing it on a chair as if he was still alive, as we can see the desperation on the faces of the Somalis. Dead bodies filled the ground while these words appear on the screen, “in late August, America’s elite soldiers, Delta Force, Army Rangers and the 160 SOAR are sent to Mogadishu to remove Aidid and restore order” (Scott, 2001).
We can see civilians getting murdered in the name of Aidid, a man saying the food belongs to them as the Blackhawks helicopters survey the area. While Colonel Garrison talks to the weapons provider we can see where the story is going, the General tells him they won’t leave Somalia without Aidid. As the mission drags for more than six weeks the soldiers make preparations for upcoming raid and the viewer is given an insight to the way the Army operates, the competition between the different elite groups is obvious. For the viewer the film provided a military view of men getting ready for battle, but for the soldiers that experienced these horrific accounts, just another day at the office. Although the film has a stellar cast the characters were not well developed, we wanted to know more about these men that would give their lives in exchange for peace, but we are left with lots of unanswered questions or maybe with the desire of a positive outcome or a casualty free operation, but all we got was carnage.
The battle is bloody and very graphic, especially the incidents with the IEDs which take many soldiers’ lives including a soldier who loses half his body but is still talking, something that seemed to me as very Hollywood and farfetched. Another scene that was too bloody for me was the soldier bleeding to death as the medics tried to save his life. The soldiers are instructed by the General that “no man will be left behind”, but as the battle intensifies it is unrealistic to comply with his orders. As both Blackhawk helicopters crashed, the Somalis went in a frenzy trying to scavenge whatever they could get from these helicopters, including the bodies of the crew. Eventually the mission shifted from the extraction of Aidid to a rescue mission for the U.S. forces on the ground.
We can see at one point the infamous scene where the American pilot is dragged through the streets, the scene was brief, and with no details considering this part of the movie really happened. United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Thomas J. Field was dragged by the Somalis and used as a trophy, but unfortunately this important incident took maybe five seconds in the movie, I guess the shooting scenes were more important. I personally disliked the film, because of the bloody and graphic scenes, but I guess that is how war is. The director could have given a better background on the situation and make the characters a little more human, it was as if they were objects used by the military just like pawns in a game of chess.
General Garrison made many costly mistakes; the most critical one was not pulling the troops out of the situation sooner, and not advising the ally troops of the raid. Although the director wanted this movie to clear the air on the situation in Somalia what he accomplished in my eyes was the opposite. This film as well as the real life account were an embarrassment for our government and our military, who selflessly serve our nation. Instead of viewing the military as heroes they were portrayed as killers, 19 soldiers died while 1,000 Somalians were shot including women and children. The intention of the director was not to give the U.S. military a negative image but unfortunately this inevitably happened.
Larry Chin explains in his review that Bruckheimer was trying to introduce the viewer to the honor among soldiers but unfortunately failed to do so. He considers this film to be dangerous for some viewers as the carnage is more important than the actual facts. The Limey review explains that the film put the American military member under a bad light, not as a hero but as an embarrassment while the only great thing about the movie was its stellar cast. Limey also criticized the use of British actors, and deemed the film a Hollywood version of the events, but at the end he considered it a good film.
I agree with Perry’s review that film lacked emotion from the characters and that minorities were limited with one black Spanish speaking actor, as if the whole military was white. I also agree with Perry when he explained that the character development was minimal, “this is a movie that literally throws character development to the wind--by the film's second act, it becomes clear that no character in the entire has been developed to a point that might create some dramatic tension or audience interest”, (Perry, 2000). In Perry’s opinion these men were faceless, and although they were wearing a nametag in my opinion they were nameless. After the film was over the only name I could remember was General Garrison, maybe because I asked my husband if he thought that general would ever get a third star in which he replied “no”. As I researched further, I discovered that he never did.
The review by Mickey Kaus explained the details that were omitted by the film, such as how the Rangers eventually captured the two Somali officials. I agree with Kaus that the audience did not get a good background on the story and if you were not familiar with it, then automatically you believe that we needed to help the people of Somalia by apprehending Aimid. Kaus calls the Battle of Mogadishu a tragic fiasco, and I agree with him. Maybe this fiasco needed to stay between the military walls and not completely shared with the public.
As a 22-year military wife, military mother, and military employee I did not enjoy this film.
Certain aspects of the military missions are better kept secret for me. I believe these brave men were put in harm’s way by our government. Sometimes we believe that we can fix every conflict in the world and make their world just like ours, but what if they don’t want us to. The fast withdrawal from Somalia opened the door for extremists like Osama bin Laden because they viewed the Americans as weak. This unfortunate event although embarrassing to many, brought advances in many military special operations as they learned from the mistakes of a mission gone horribly bad.
Reference
Black Hawk down [Motion picture]. (2002). Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
The Name of the Game in Somalia is Oil, The Milli Gazette, Vol. 3 No. 6. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/15032002/1503200246.htm
Xiibaro Reviews: Black Hawk Down, Talk Radio, How High, and Out Cold. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.cinema-scene.com/archive/04/03.htmlKaus, M. (n.d.).
What Black Hawk Down leaves out. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/kausfiles_special/2002/01/what_black_hawk
On 24April 1992, the U.S. government led by President George H.W. Bush wishing to help the situation in Somalia approved Resolution 751. This resolution authorized the U.S. to provide humanitarian relief while establishing the United Nations’ operation in Somalia called UNOSOM. While there was progress in some cities it was apparent that much of the supplies that were intended to make it to the interior were hijacked by different local clans. With the failed attempts to feed the hungry the United States decided to airlift the food from Kenya to the interior of Somalia, bypassing the other ports and eventually reducing the need for convoys. This attempt was called Operation PROVIDE RELIEF and was an effort to use the …show more content…
U.S. logistics on how to supply the much needed food to the Somalis.
This effort did not stop the problems with distribution as the clans seized the supplies.
The chaotic situation continued, in which President Bush issued an order to send the U.S. Army Special Forces to investigate and recon the area in preparation for the remainder of the troops to arrive in country. With the understanding that the UN could not accomplish the mission alone the United States sends 1,300 Marines to aid with the food distribution. While peace was maintained by the U.S. forces for a while the U.S. government was working on another mission, passing Resolution 814, which gave the U.S. authority to intrude in the country’s affairs. This new Resolution was not well received by General Aidid, leader of the Somalia National Alliance, and in June 1993 the Somalia National Alliance Forces retaliated by killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. After this incident the United Nations approved a more aggressive military involvement, resolution 837, which provided them with more troops to deal with the Somali …show more content…
struggle. A warrant was issued for Aidid’s arrest and a 25,000 dollar reward was offered for him. Originally this mission was called Operation GOTHIC SERPENT, but for the rest of the world it was known as Black Hawk Down as director Ridley Scott brings this story to life in his film. In my opinion this film was made to set the record straight as the graphic images on television were making the United States military look ridiculous and incompetent. In a testosterone filled film the director shows how the United States military sent our elite units to a sudden death. Maybe his intentions were to set the record straight but I believe the result was the opposite, a film full of gore, suffering, despair, and desperation. The film takes the viewer to a foreign land, Somalia, where people are starving. In the first scene we can see a man wrapping a dead body and placing it on a chair as if he was still alive, as we can see the desperation on the faces of the Somalis. Dead bodies filled the ground while these words appear on the screen, “in late August, America’s elite soldiers, Delta Force, Army Rangers and the 160 SOAR are sent to Mogadishu to remove Aidid and restore order” (Scott, 2001).
We can see civilians getting murdered in the name of Aidid, a man saying the food belongs to them as the Blackhawks helicopters survey the area. While Colonel Garrison talks to the weapons provider we can see where the story is going, the General tells him they won’t leave Somalia without Aidid. As the mission drags for more than six weeks the soldiers make preparations for upcoming raid and the viewer is given an insight to the way the Army operates, the competition between the different elite groups is obvious. For the viewer the film provided a military view of men getting ready for battle, but for the soldiers that experienced these horrific accounts, just another day at the office. Although the film has a stellar cast the characters were not well developed, we wanted to know more about these men that would give their lives in exchange for peace, but we are left with lots of unanswered questions or maybe with the desire of a positive outcome or a casualty free operation, but all we got was carnage.
The battle is bloody and very graphic, especially the incidents with the IEDs which take many soldiers’ lives including a soldier who loses half his body but is still talking, something that seemed to me as very Hollywood and farfetched. Another scene that was too bloody for me was the soldier bleeding to death as the medics tried to save his life. The soldiers are instructed by the General that “no man will be left behind”, but as the battle intensifies it is unrealistic to comply with his orders. As both Blackhawk helicopters crashed, the Somalis went in a frenzy trying to scavenge whatever they could get from these helicopters, including the bodies of the crew. Eventually the mission shifted from the extraction of Aidid to a rescue mission for the U.S. forces on the ground.
We can see at one point the infamous scene where the American pilot is dragged through the streets, the scene was brief, and with no details considering this part of the movie really happened. United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Thomas J. Field was dragged by the Somalis and used as a trophy, but unfortunately this important incident took maybe five seconds in the movie, I guess the shooting scenes were more important. I personally disliked the film, because of the bloody and graphic scenes, but I guess that is how war is. The director could have given a better background on the situation and make the characters a little more human, it was as if they were objects used by the military just like pawns in a game of chess.
General Garrison made many costly mistakes; the most critical one was not pulling the troops out of the situation sooner, and not advising the ally troops of the raid. Although the director wanted this movie to clear the air on the situation in Somalia what he accomplished in my eyes was the opposite. This film as well as the real life account were an embarrassment for our government and our military, who selflessly serve our nation. Instead of viewing the military as heroes they were portrayed as killers, 19 soldiers died while 1,000 Somalians were shot including women and children. The intention of the director was not to give the U.S. military a negative image but unfortunately this inevitably happened.
Larry Chin explains in his review that Bruckheimer was trying to introduce the viewer to the honor among soldiers but unfortunately failed to do so. He considers this film to be dangerous for some viewers as the carnage is more important than the actual facts. The Limey review explains that the film put the American military member under a bad light, not as a hero but as an embarrassment while the only great thing about the movie was its stellar cast. Limey also criticized the use of British actors, and deemed the film a Hollywood version of the events, but at the end he considered it a good film.
I agree with Perry’s review that film lacked emotion from the characters and that minorities were limited with one black Spanish speaking actor, as if the whole military was white. I also agree with Perry when he explained that the character development was minimal, “this is a movie that literally throws character development to the wind--by the film's second act, it becomes clear that no character in the entire has been developed to a point that might create some dramatic tension or audience interest”, (Perry, 2000). In Perry’s opinion these men were faceless, and although they were wearing a nametag in my opinion they were nameless. After the film was over the only name I could remember was General Garrison, maybe because I asked my husband if he thought that general would ever get a third star in which he replied “no”. As I researched further, I discovered that he never did.
The review by Mickey Kaus explained the details that were omitted by the film, such as how the Rangers eventually captured the two Somali officials. I agree with Kaus that the audience did not get a good background on the story and if you were not familiar with it, then automatically you believe that we needed to help the people of Somalia by apprehending Aimid. Kaus calls the Battle of Mogadishu a tragic fiasco, and I agree with him. Maybe this fiasco needed to stay between the military walls and not completely shared with the public.
As a 22-year military wife, military mother, and military employee I did not enjoy this film.
Certain aspects of the military missions are better kept secret for me. I believe these brave men were put in harm’s way by our government. Sometimes we believe that we can fix every conflict in the world and make their world just like ours, but what if they don’t want us to. The fast withdrawal from Somalia opened the door for extremists like Osama bin Laden because they viewed the Americans as weak. This unfortunate event although embarrassing to many, brought advances in many military special operations as they learned from the mistakes of a mission gone horribly bad.
Reference
Black Hawk down [Motion picture]. (2002). Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
The Name of the Game in Somalia is Oil, The Milli Gazette, Vol. 3 No. 6. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/15032002/1503200246.htm
Xiibaro Reviews: Black Hawk Down, Talk Radio, How High, and Out Cold. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.cinema-scene.com/archive/04/03.htmlKaus, M. (n.d.).
What Black Hawk Down leaves out. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/kausfiles_special/2002/01/what_black_hawk