Gary I Gordon
Gary Gordon was born on the 30th of August, 1960 in Lincoln, Maine. After attending and graduating from Mattanawcook Academy in 1978, he enlisted in the US Army and trained as a combat engineer. Once he completed Special Forces Training, Gary was assigned to 2nd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group. In December of 1986, he was selected to join the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, or Delta Force. During the tale of Randall Shughart, I had mentioned Gary’s name and this was because they had both been a part of Task Force Ranger when they were deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia. This was in the Summer of 1993 and Gary was a sniper team leader during a joint-force missions to capture important advisors to a Somali warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid. During this mission, a Blackhawk helicopter had been shot down in the city and when a second Blackhawk had responded to help rescue those teammates, it too was shot down. There were other forces already on the ground that were not able to assist with the second crash because they were engaged with Aidid’s militia and were on their way to the first crash.
Gary was in another helicopter, along with Randy Shughart and Brad Hallings, and were providing sniper cover from the air. They had insisted on being inserted near the second crash site in order to help and after their third request, received permission to do so. Once on the ground, Gary’s actions would earn him the Meal of Honor. The citation reads:
Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fire from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. In total 50 Somalian bodies were found at the location. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
There was some confusion as to who died first, Randy or Gary. The official citations states that was was Randy that died first however two accounts from Sergeant Paul Howe and Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant say that Gary was killed first. Sadly, Gary’s body had been dragged through the streets of Mogadishu but was eventually recovered. On the 23rd of May 1994, Gary’s wife received his Medal of Honor from President Clinton in a ceremony at the White House and like Randy, was one of the first Medal of Honor recipients since the Vietnam War. Later, in 1996, The US Navy would name a roll-on/roll-off ship after Gary, the USNS Gordon. The Gordon Elementary School in Linden Oaks, North Carolina was also named after Gary in 2009. This school is near Fort Bragg which is where Gary was stationed prior to the Somalia deployment and the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, named it’s main mock city, “Shughart-Gordon”. Gary Gordon is buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Penobscot County, Maine.
