Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Operation Gothic Serpent (1993)

Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 7, 2022

1. Operation Gothic Serpent (1993) Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Battle of Mogadishu, more commonly referred to as Black Hawk Down or locally, as the Day of the Rangers (Somali: Maalinal Rangers) was part of Operation Gothic Serpent and was fought on 3 and 4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia between forces of the United States supported by UNOSOM II, and Somali militiamen loyal to the self-proclaimed president-to-be Mohamed Farral Aidid who had support from armed civilian fighters.

A U.S. Army force in Mogadishu, consisting primarily of U.S. Army Rangers from Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), better known as "Delta Force"; as well as Air Force Combat Controllers and Air Force Pararescuemen and helicopters from 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment attempted to seize two of Aidid's high-echelon lieutenants during a meeting in the city. Shortly after the assault began, Somalia militia and armed civilian fighters shot down two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The subsequent operation to secure and recover the crews of both helicopters drew the raid, intended to last no more than

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 7, 2022

2. Operation Gothic Serpent (1993) Marker

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an hour, into an overnight standoff in the city. The battle resulted in 18 deaths, 80 wounded, and one helicopter pilot captured among the U.S. raid party and rescue forces. One Pakistani soldier and one Malaysian soldier were killed as part of the rescue forces. American sources estimate between 1,500 and 3,000 Somali casualties including civilians; SNA forces claim only 315 killed, with 812 wounded. The battle is also referred to as the First Battle of Mogadishu to distinguish it from the Second Battle of Mogadishu of 2006.

(Captions)
Delta Medal of Honor Recipients (posthumous)
MSGT Gary I. Gordon ★ SFC Randall D. Shughart

Erected by Hillsborough County.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military. A significant historical date for this entry is October 3, 1993.

Location. 27° 58.643′ N, 82° 21.68′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Memorial can be reached from Route 301, 0.2 miles south of East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located within Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3602 N US Hwy 301, Tampa FL 33619, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. USS Cole Bombing (2000) (here, next to this marker); USS Liberty Incident (1967)

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(here, next to this marker); Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines (here, next to this marker); Mayaguez Incident (1975) (here, next to this marker); The Barbary Wars 1801-1829 (here, next to this marker); Boxer Rebellion 1898-1901 (here, next to this marker); The Philippine-American War 1899 - 1913 (here, next to this marker); Pueblo Incident (1968) (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.

Also see . . . Operation Gothic Serpent. (Submitted on March 26, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 29, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.