‘Black Hawk Down’ Veterans to Receive 58 Silver Stars
The Army just upgraded combat medals given to 60 special operators of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, right as Pentagon officials decide whether to return to Somalia.
By Caitlin M. Kenney
Staff Reporter
July 1, 2021
The Army is upgrading the valor awards of 60 special operators who participated in the ill-fated Battle of Mogadishu 28 years ago—perhaps best known through the “Black Hawk Down” book and movie. The late recognition comes as Pentagon officials decide whether to send U.S. troops to Somalia anew.
“The upgrades are a result of the October 2020 directive from former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who directed the Senior Army Decorations Board to re-evaluate previously approved awards for valor,” according to a statement from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, on Thursday.
The board upgraded 58 awards to Silver Stars and two others to Distinguished Flying Crosses. In all, 151 awards packets were reviewed in December from Operation Gothic Serpent, of which Battle of Mogadishu was a part, and four more awards are pending an upgrade to Distinguished Service Crosses, said Bonita Riddley, a spokesperson with U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2021/07/black-hawk-down-veterans-receive-58-silver-stars/183022/
