Sensory Stresses in Mogadishu, 1993

The site of the starving people of Somalia in the city of Mogadishu alone could cause the average man or woman to react to the stress. The simple visualization of the hatred and twisted perversion of human beings and the way that they treat one another could have single-handedly caused the Rangers in “Blackhawk Down” to have negative reactions before the fighting even began. Inadequate mental preparation for the fight they were about to endure, and leaving with a belief that this would be a quick mission left these men unprepared for the events they were about to endure. Although they did see the commander prior to leaving, and the stock of ammunition in the aircraft was unusual for the missions they had been conducting, most of the soldiers, especially the newer ones, were unaware of the possibilities of the days events.

  The story Blackhawk Down tells allows the world to get an idea of the continuous bloody battle fought by this small group of soldiers, hopefully bringing about an understanding of the increased stress they endured and the unimaginable tragedies they went through to make it out alive. Having to watch the aircraft they expected to bring them out of the battle zone crash and become inoperable, watching their comrades become seriously injured or killed, and not knowing whether or not anyone would come to save them or if they would be left to die themselves brings about a constant stress that the soldiers were not able to ignore during the battle and ultimately affected them in their everyday lives.  SSG Dan Shilling, one of the Rangers in the firefight at Mogadishu, said, “It changes you.  I’m not the same person I was before.  Anyone who knows me will say I’m not the person I was before” (Keane).  Although the men involved in the battle had been through extensive and difficult training beyond that of theaverage soldier, and had made a conscious decision to live their lives with more deployments, more dangerous and complex missions, and less down-time afterward, even they were unable to re-adjust to the level they were at before the battle.

The “forgotten” battles seem to bring about a higher level of stress after a return to civilization. The men in the fight in Mogadishu were documented by very few; the achievements and hardships they went through were overlooked until Mark Bowden’s book, and later the movie. These men waited for several years to be fully recognized for the events of that battle, and although they may not have wanted to be reminded of their mission constantly, a lack of understanding amongst the people they went home to would add to the stress they took with them when they finally left the battlefield. The battle was fairly short compared to many others, but the tragedies that occurred and the fear of survival was as real as any other battle. The constant fighting and the inability to have the slightest safety during the operation left these men in one of the most stressful situations American military has ever faced.

 The lack of manpower, an uncertainty, a feeling of abandonment, and the regular tragedies of warfare all thrown into a constant and bloody firefight that several of the men were unprepared for and none of the soldiers were expecting, brought about a serious reaction to stress. They fought, they cried, they found religion and hope, they lost all hope, they lost themselves, and they continuously changed how they coped with their grief in cycles throughout the entire battle. These men will never be the same, but through finally having their story told and the knowledge that people around them are trying to understand and help them adjust can only have a positive impact on their healing and dealing with the stresses from that conflict.