The mangled Black Hawk arced across the sky, then disappeared from Tom Satterly's sight. A moment later, he heard the far-off crash and realized that what had started as a routine operation was now a rescue mission.
"That feeling of being trapped and you just want to go home," said Satterly, a decorated Delta Force veteran. "That's when you realize it's real combat."
Tuesday marks 30 years since the start of the Battle of Mogadishu, more commonly known as Black Hawk Down after its book and movie portrayals.
Satterly was among the Rangers and Delta Force soldiers who entered Mogadishu to neutralize a Somali warlord on Oct. 3, 1993. They thought it would be a simple 45-minute raid. But when Somali forces shot down two Black Hawk helicopters, it morphed into an overnight battle for survival, the longest sustained firefight since the Vietnam War.
"We're human, and though we go in to do good, horrible things can still happen," Satterly told Fox News of his biggest takeaway from the battle, all these years later.
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He added that the anniversary is a reminder to "honor, thank and remember those who gave all, that lost all, and they volunteered to do it. It's to learn not to repeat and to remember why it's important to do the hard things instead of turning away."
Eighteen American soldiers were killed and dozens more injured during the battle.
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Two of the soldiers, Master Sgt. Gary Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Army upgraded combat awards in 2021 for 60 veterans involved in the operation.
Satterly has been open about his long struggle with mental health following the Battle of Mogadishu. He and his wife Jen confounded the St. Louis-based nonprofit All Secure Foundation, which helps special operations veterans and their families combat post-traumatic stress.
"I want people to stay strong and take care of themselves," Satterly said. "And I'd tell all the veterans out there, ‘You’re not alone. There are organizations out there that can help you. Take control of your own health care and go do what you can do.'"
To hear more from Satterly about how the Black Hawk Down mission changed his life, click here.
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