Randall D Shughart
Randall D Shughart was born on the 13th of August, 1958 in Lincoln, Nebraska. When his father left the Air Force, the family moved to Newville, Pennsylvania, a small town near Carlisle. While Randy was attending Big Spring High School, he joined the US Army and once he graduated in 1976, he went on to Basic and Advanced Individual Trainings and continued on to Airborne School. In 1978, he was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Lewis, Washington. Several months after being assigned to the 2nd Battalion, Randy completed a pre-Ranger course, currently known as SURT, or Small Unit Ranger Tactics, and was granted a spot to attend Ranger School. He attended and graduated, therefore earning his Ranger Tab, and in June of 1980, Randy left active duty and entered the Army Reserve, only to return to active duty again in December of 1983. He then attended Special Forces training ands then assigned to Delta Force and transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June of 1986.
In 1993, Randy was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of Task Force Ranger. During Operation Gothic Serpent, on the 3rd of October, two Black Hawk helicopters that were part of an assault mission, were shot down in the city. The second helicopter was a search and rescue team that had been sent to secure the first helicopter. Randy, along with Gary Gordon, and Brad Hallings, were in another Black Hawk, call sign Super Six-Two, and their actions that day would not only earn Randy the Medal of Honor, but also Gary…but that is a tale for another time. The citation reads:
Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader 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 their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart 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. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him-self, his unit and the United States Army.
Randy’s body was recovered from the scene and brought home and on the 23rd of May, 1994, his posthumous Medal of Honor was presented to his family in a ceremony at the White House. In 1997, the US Navy named a roll-on/roll-off ship after Randy; the USNS Shughart. If this story sounds familiar, it may be because you watched the 2001 film, Black Hawk Down, where Randy was portrayed by actor Johnny Strong. Randy and Gary were the first recipients since Vietnam. Randall D Shughart is buried in the Westminster Cemetery in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
