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United States Army Sgt. First Class Randall 'Randy' D. Shughart, earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for actions in Operation Gothic Serpent (October 3, 1993) — also known as the Battle of Mogadishu.
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2 USNS Shughart 3 Related topics 4 External links 5 References |
Biography
Sergeant First Class (SFC) Shughart, U.S. Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site.
After their third request to be inserted, Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, he and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site.
Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, SFC Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. He pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position.
Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. He continued his protective fire, until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded.
His actions saved the pilot's life: Mike Durant.
On April 13, 1996 the U.S. Navy officially named a Roll-on/Roll-off Cargo Ship (T-AKR 295) with the name of Shughart; in a ceremony at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California.
[1]
Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska was the ceremony's
principal speaker. Serving as the ship's sponsor was Mrs.
Stephanie Shughart, widow of the ship's namesake.
Some of the distinguished guests that attended the ceremony included:
USNS Shughart
U.S. Navy Photo
Shughart was the first Large Medium Speed Roll On/Roll Off (LMSR) ship to undergo conversion from commercial container vessel to sealift cargo ship. The ship is operated by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.
Related topics
External links
Official military sites
Memorials
References