Should we have run from Somalia?

[Doggiedog]

Did you ever see the picture of the body of the helicopter pilot being dragged out in the streets?

After seeing that, I was so pissed off and thinking to myself why the fvck should we help those damn savages. Let them starve!

I think alot of people felt the same way as me.

 

[NoCommie]

I think Somalia is somewhat like Afghanistan due to their tribal differences. None of the leaders their wanted the US because they are all a bunch of thugs who stole from the UN and knew that the US will have to rid the country of these types of leader in order to build a stable country. During the Clinton period, the media has turned the majority of our population in wimps who thinks that any risk of death is unacceptable. The US has a tendency to run when the going gets tough. We have no one to blame except our media and ourselves for not knowing how to look for the truth. The majority of us are in total reliance on the media for information (and misinformation).

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: NightFlyerGTI

So why did we run? Why did we not hit back in force? 2 weeks after the incident, US forces were pulled by Clinton. Why?

Because Clinton is a pussy and ran away with his tail between his legs.

He did, however, bring peace into the Middle East.

 

[pulse8]

Also, the whole country of Somalia was not against us. One region of the city held by Aideeds clan was against us.

Actually, it wasn't just one region, pretty much the entire city of Mogadishu was after our soldiers.

 

[Bulk Beef]

BLACK HAWK DOWN IS ENTERTAINMENT!!! NOT REALITY!!!

Actually, the movie pretty accurately portrays what you describe. Overly complex plan, underestimating the enemy, it's all in there. You call it a clusterfvck, the movie shows a clusterfvck.

Re: Cheering Somalis - This is described in the articles. I got the impression that they were cheering at the damage done to the Americans.

Re: Why we withdrew - When people saw our soldiers being dragged through the streets on the evening news, the question on most people's minds was not "Why aren't we kicking the sh*t out of them?" but "WTF are we doing in Somalia?" To judge it in the current context of 9-11, the War on Terrorism, etc. is a mistake. Additionally, if we had allowed what had started as a humanitarian mission to deteriorate into a slaughter, it would have made us look pretty bad in the eyes of the world. Look at Europe's reaction recently. How would they have reacted then?

 

[The Wildcard]

Hmm, I never thought of it in that context......nice point.

 

[ViperXX]

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Yep, and I saw hundreds of Somalis cheering on the US forces as they got to safety.
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From what I've heard from people who've seen the movie and read the original articles, that didn't happen. It was a cinematic tool.
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If you want to know the whole story read this.


True Story of Black Hawk Down

 

[LethalWolfe]

US forces were pulled out 'cause Clinton had no balls. When the sh*t hit the fan he ran away. As for why we were there, it was a joint UN peace keeping mission. And thanx to the all knowing UN which out lined rules of engagement on "peace keeping" missions no one is allowed to fire, unless fired upon (hence one of the opening scene where the warlord's men shoot civilians and steal the food shipment and all the US troops can do is watch). But the UN in this capacity is another rant all together.

Yes the movie is fiction, but IMO it's one of the least fictionalized movies that is based on real events.

I'm an Army Brat, and I think I can speak for most military famlies when I say we should have stayed in Somilia and rolled that section of the city into the dirt. Soliders die in military actions. It's the nature of the beast. But letting them die for nothing is unforgivable.

Lethal