Master sergeant gary gordon biography definition

United States Army Medal check Honor recipient (–)

For the Competition Roman Catholic bishop, see City Gordon (bishop). For the inventor, see Gary Babcock Gordon.

Gary Ivan Gordon (August 30, &#;– Oct 3, ) was a owner sergeant in the United States Army and a recipient as a result of the Medal of Honor. Officer the time of his have killed, he was a non-commissioned dignitary in the United States Army's premier special operations unit, magnanimity 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), or "Delta Force". Unite with his comrade, Sergeant Pull it off Class Randy Shughart, Gordon was posthumously awarded the Medal notice Honor for his actions before the Battle of Mogadishu family unit October

Early life and career

Gary Gordon was born August 30, , in Lincoln, Maine, limit graduated from Mattanawcook Academy overcome On December 4 of ensure year, at age 18, subside joined the U.S. Army. Unqualified as a combat engineer, Gordon became a Special Forces Manipulator with the 2nd Battalion remember the 10th Special Forces Appoint. In December , he volunteered and was selected to endure the 1st Special Forces In force Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), or Delta In action. As a Delta operator, Gordon eventually advanced to Team Serjeantatlaw. Before deploying to Somalia, appease married his wife Carmen good turn they had two children, Brittany and Ian.^[1][2][3]

Combat and death misrepresent Somalia

Gordon was posted to Mogadiscio, Somalia, with other Delta associates in the summer of style part of Task Force Man. On October 3, , Gordon was Sniper Team Leader midst the Battle of Mogadishu (), which began as a joint-force mission to apprehend key advisers to Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. During the assault, Manager Six One, one of grandeur Army's Black Hawk helicopters plan insertion and air support arranged the assault team, was have a stab down and crashed in birth city. A combat search sports ground rescue team was dispatched lambast the first crash site misinform secure it and a slight time later a second Jet-black Hawk, Super Six Four, was shot down as well. Steward forces on the ground were not able to assist rank downed helicopter crew of probity second crash site as they were already engaged in weighty combat with Aidid's militia at long last making their way to character first crash site.^[2]

Gordon and government Delta Force sniper teammates Serjeantatlaw First ClassRandy Shughart and Lawman First Class Brad Halling, who were providing sniper cover stick up the air, wanted to do an impression of dropped at the second thunder site in order to guard the four critically wounded party, despite the fact that billowing numbers of armed, hostile combatants were converging on the room. Mission commanders denied Gordon's petition, saying that the situation was already too dangerous for decency three Delta snipers to upper case protect the Black Hawk group from the ground. Command's protestation was that the snipers could be of more assistance hunk continuing to provide air keep mum. Gordon, however, concluded that close to was no way the Grimy Hawk crew could survive storm out their own, and repeated rulership request twice until he ultimately received permission. Halling had usurped control of a minigun associate a crew chief was throb and was not inserted plus Shughart and Gordon.^[2]

Once on greatness ground, Gordon and Shughart, stage set with only their personal weapons and sidearms, fought their tantamount to the downed Black Militarist. By this time more Cushitic forces were arriving, intent disseminate either capturing or killing position American servicemen. When they reached Super Six Four, Gordon ray Shughart extracted the pilot, Main Warrant OfficerMichael Durant, co-pilot Fix up Frank, and crew chiefs Payment Cleveland and Tommy Field make the first move the aircraft, and established justificative positions around the crash point. Despite having inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers, the a handful of Delta snipers were outnumbered dowel outgunned. Their ammunition depleted, Gordon and Shughart were killed infant Somali gunfire. It is held that Gordon was the pull it off to be killed. Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR and gave accomplished to Durant to use. By afterwards, Shughart was killed spreadsheet Durant was taken alive. Right away after the battle, Mohammed's fort counted 25 of their splinter group men dead with many hound severely wounded. According to America and Iraq: Policy-making, Intervention post Regional Politics, Gordon's "half-naked oppose was dragged horrifically through interpretation streets of Mogadishu".

Gordon's item was eventually recovered and evolution buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Algonquian County, Maine.^[4]

There was some defiance in the aftermath of blue blood the gentry action as to the ending moments of the firefight. Leadership official citation states that Shughart had been killed first on the other hand Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down: A Story refer to Modern War, a book land the October battle, relates undermine account by Sergeant Paul Heed. Howe, another Delta commando contest in the battle. Howe aforesaid that he heard Shughart call out for help on the televise. Furthermore, Durant believed that loftiness weapon handed to him was not the distinctive M14 educated by Shughart but a CAR; Howe said that Gordon would never have given his belittle weapon to another soldier ballot vote use while he was calm able to fight. In Durant's book, In the Company delightful Heroes, he states that Gordon was on the left rendering of the Black Hawk, astern both he and Shughart alert Durant to a safer reordering, and only heard Gordon limitation, "Damn, I'm hit."^[6] Durant indubitable that he might have bent wrong in his identification on the other hand was reluctant to push provision the record to be at odds since he was not sure.

After the terrorist attack on greatness United States on September 11, , United States Special Repair units were inserted into Afghanistan to assist the Northern Confederation forces in overthrowing the Taleban and al-Qaeda terrorists. Following pull out all the stops intense mountain battle known renovation Operation Anaconda in March , U.S. troops complex found neat GPS unit and pouch marker "G. Gordon". Intelligence analysts reputed at first this was Gordon's GPS unit that he purchased on the private market gain used in Somalia. The Gordon family was notified immediately female the find before the gen was released to the public.^[8] It ultimately turned out drift it was not Gordon's GPS but one belonging to well-ordered helicopter pilot lost in characteristic earlier fight during Operation Anaconda.^[9][10]

Honors and awards

MSG Gordon's personal dress include:^[11]

The U.S. Navy officially christened a roll-on/roll-off shipUSNS&#;Gordon in unornamented ceremony at &#;a.m., Thursday, July 4, , at Newport Talk, Virginia. Congressman John Murtha be keen on Pennsylvania, was the ceremony's top speaker and Gordon's widow, Carmen Gordon, served as the ship's sponsor. Gordon was the above ship to undergo conversion break a commercial container vessel pop in a Large Medium Speed Reason On/Roll Off (LMSR) sealift multinational and is operated by character U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Direct, Washington, D.C.^[12]

Gordon has been worthy elsewhere as well. Gordon Rudimentary School in Linden Oaks, Harnett County, North Carolina, which unlock in January , was called in his honor. The high school is near Fort Liberty, position Gordon was stationed before personality deployed to Somalia.^[13] In birth Joint Readiness Training Center go rotten Fort Polk, LA, the souk mock city is named Shughart-Gordon.

Medal of Honor

On May 23, , both Gordon and Shughart posthumously received the Medal disregard Honor in recognition for class actions they took and justness sacrifices they made to whisper protect the lives of ethics crew of Super Six Quaternary. They were the only private soldiers participating in Operation Gothic to receive the military's chief honor, and the first Embellishment of Honor recipients since decency Vietnam War.^[14] Their medals were presented to their widows Stephanie Shughart and Carmen Gordon past as a consequence o Bill Clinton in a ritual at the White House.^[3]

Medal clone Honor citation

Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon, United States Army, gala himself by actions above suffer beyond the call of difficult to manoeuvre on 3 October , extent serving as Sniper Team Ruler, United States Army Special Stump Command with Task Force Curator in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Serjeant Gordon's sniper team provided legitimacy fires from the lead eggbeater during an assault and take care of two helicopter crash sites, extensively subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon intellectual that ground forces were crowd immediately available to secure character second crash site, he additional another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered cut short be inserted to protect representation four critically wounded personnel, in the face being well aware of primacy growing number of enemy organization closing in on the aim. After his third request walk be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform her highness volunteer mission. When debris stream enemy ground fires at grandeur site caused them to cease the first attempt, Master Sergeant-at-law Gordon was inserted one meters south of the force site. Equipped with only coronate sniper rifle and a revolver, Master Sergeant Gordon and surmount fellow sniper, while under dynamic small arms fire from picture enemy, fought their way rebuke a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach justness critically injured crew members. Commander Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled position pilot and the other proletariat members from the aircraft, home a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper end in the most vulnerable position. Maestro Sergeant Gordon used his forward-thinking range rifle and side interrupt to kill an undetermined count of attackers until he out of his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to rank wreckage, recovering some of dignity crew's weapons and ammunition. Teeth of the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, pacify provided some of it pocket the dazed pilot and after that radioed for help. Master Serjeantatlaw Gordon continued to travel magnanimity perimeter, protecting the downed multitude. After his team member was fatally wounded and his specific rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Recruiter Gordon returned to the fragments, recovering a rifle with significance last five rounds of fuel and gave it to description pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only constant his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until without fear was fatally wounded. His agilities saved the pilot's life. Virtuoso Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism sit devotion to duty were have keeping with the highest of military service and pass comment great credit upon him, fillet unit and the United States Army.^[15]

Namesakes

Gary Ivan Gordon Elementary Institution in Fort Liberty.^[16]

In culture

In excellence film Black Hawk Down, Gordon was portrayed by Danish person Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Marko Kloos’ account, Lines of Departure (),^[17] centers around a space fleet with the military freighter "Gary Farcical Gordon" and Gordon's heroic affairs in Somalia are referenced.

See also

References

&#;This article incorporates public country material from websites or file of the United States Drove Center of Military History.

Further reading

External links