10/04/2026
Gary Gordon could see a downed Black Hawk surrounded by enemy forces below.
He asked to be sent down to protect its wounded crew.
His request was denied.
So he asked again.
Denied again.
On his third request, permission finally came. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
It was October 3, 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu.
Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart were Delta Force snipers providing cover from the air when Black Hawk Super Six-Four, piloted by Michael Durant, went down.
Four badly injured crewmen were at the crash site.
No ground rescue force could immediately reach them.
Gordon and Shughart volunteered to go instead.
They understood that growing numbers of enemy fighters were closing in. They also knew there was no guarantee anyone could reach them afterward. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Dropped roughly 100 meters from the wreckage, the two snipers fought their way through the surrounding buildings until they reached the helicopter.
They pulled the wounded crew from the wreckage.
Then they established a defensive perimeter.
Just two soldiers between the crew and the forces closing around them.
Gordon fired until his am******on was nearly exhausted.
He returned to the wreckage, recovered additional weapons and am******on, and gave some to Durant.
Then he went back to the perimeter. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Shughart was eventually fatally wounded.
Gordon's r***e am******on was gone.
He returned to Durant one final time.
Inside the wreckage, Gordon found a r***e containing just five rounds.
He handed it to the wounded pilot.
“Good luck,” he told him.
Then Gordon went back out carrying only his pistol.
He continued defending the crash site until he was fatally wounded. Durant was captured and later released after 11 days. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Gordon was 33 years old.
On May 23, 1994, President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to Gordon's widow. Shughart received the same honor that day.
They became the first American service members to receive the Medal of Honor for combat actions since the Vietnam War. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
More than three decades later, Gordon's name received another permanent place in Army history.
In 2025, the Army renamed Fort Gordon in his honor. U.S. Army
But his Medal of Honor story still comes back to one decision.
A helicopter was down.
Four wounded Americans were surrounded.
Gary Gordon asked to go.
Then asked again.
And when permission finally came on the third request, he went.
Source
U.S. Army Center of Military History; Congressional Medal of Honor Society; Army University Press; U.S. Army. Gordon's official citation documents his three requests for insertion, defense of the crash site, last five rounds given to Durant and final stand with his pistol. Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Disclaimer
This story is based primarily on Gary Gordon's official Medal of Honor citation and U.S. Army historical records. Sensitive battlefield terminology has been presented in platform-safe language while preserving the documented events.
