Photo By Brittany Trumbull | The Fort Novosel Noncommissioned Officers Academy team 'Juggernauts', win the Iron...... read more read more
FORT NOVOSEL, Ala.--Fort Novosel held a day of remembrance to honor the 19 fallen Americans of the Battle of Mogadishu and their efforts in Somalia Oct. 3, 1993.
The Fort Novosel Noncommissioned Officer Academy kicked off the day with an Iron Squad Event filled with several parts, including a 1.5-mile litter carry, 160 T Pushups, 375 rowers, 15 rounds of a 25-meter 90 lb. sled drag, 30 leg tucks, 30 pull-ups, traverse bars, NCOA Obstacle course, 19 burpees and a victory lap around the academy. 8 teams competed early Thursday morning but the ‘Juggernauts’ NCOA team won with a time of 45 minutes and 30 seconds for the fourth year in a row.
That afternoon, the Army Aviation Museum held a ceremony for the 31st anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu. After awarding the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medals for the Iron Squad Event, Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel commanding general, spoke of those being honored.
“Words can’t adequately capture our appreciation for what they did and what they gave,” said Gill, “but our sense of pride and appreciation for their accomplishments is immeasurable. What we do here today, in remembrance of them, is only a small reflection of our overall gratitude for their sacrifice.”
Gill introduced SSG (R) Keni Thomas, 3rd Ranger Battalion combat veteran, who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu which was recounted in the highly successful book and movie “Blackhawk Down.” After serving in the military, Thomas pursued a successful country music career, according to Gill.
“It is an honor and a privilege to stand here today to tell the story 31 years later,” said Thomas, “and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I can promise you that the only way I stand here today is by the grace of God because of the men he put on my left and on my right.”
According to Thomas, the stories of what happened at Mogadishu still carry value today.
“During my time wearing the boots, the most lasting lesson that I got was the value of the people they put around you,” said Thomas. “What we tend to forget is that we are the great people other folks surrounded themselves with. I have learned that we really must live up to that.”
Thomas gave his first-person account of the events of Oct. 3, 1993. He spoke about the friends he was hanging out with and a lighthearted letter he wrote to his mother that morning with before they were suddenly sent on mission.
“We had been in country for 3 months already and we were smoked,” said Thomas. “It was a Sunday, and they had finally given us the day off. Most guys were playing volleyball in shorts and flip flops, and I was writing a letter to my mom, that she still has today. It said ‘Dear Mom, you would love it here in sunny Mogadishu…’ because don’t tell your mom what’s really going on. But I never finished that letter because a call came over the radios and we left.”
He broke down the detailed mission from his viewpoint as the rope master on the left side of “Super 66” Blackhawk piloted by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stan Wood and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gary Fuller. Thomas’ story recounted the tragedies and loss that followed that day as well as the bond of brotherhood between those that survived.
Thomas encouraged the Soldiers in the audience to “hold the line” for their fellow soldiers by playing a song he wrote titled Hold the Line.
“Shoulder to Shoulder, and side by side,” Thomas sang. “Give it your best, you know the sun’s going to shine. We’ll get through it together, if we hold the line. He gets choked up, when the bugle plays, he remembers a battle like it was just yesterday. He knows he owes his life, to the ones left behind, and for their sacrifice, he will hold the line.”
After his performance, Gill and the USAACE command team presented Thomas with a gift of gratitude for his time spent at Fort Novosel Oct. 3, 2024.
The audience stood at attention during a reading of the names and bell ring for each of the fallen of the battle, a three-round volley, and the playing of Taps.
31 years later, Fort Novosel remembers.
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.10.2024 12:05 |
| Story ID: | 482915 |
| Location: | FORT NOVOSEL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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