Gary Gordon

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{{Infobox Military Person |name= Gary Gordon |lived= August 30, 1960 - October 3, 1993 |placeofbirth= Lincoln, Maine |placeofdeath= Mogadishu, Somalia |image= Image:US Army MSG Gary Gordon with medal of honor1.JPG |caption= U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, Medal of Honor for actions in Operation Gothic Serpent (October 3, 1993). |nickname= |allegiance= United States Army |serviceyears= N/A |rank= Master Sergeant |commands= |unit= 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta |battles=Battle of Mogadishu |awards= Medal of Honor
Purple Heart |laterwork= |portrayedby= Nikolaj Coster Waldau in Black Hawk Down }}

United States Army Master Sgt. Gary Ivan Gordon (August 30, 1960 – October 3, 1993) earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for actions in Operation Gothic Serpent — the operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu.

1 Biography
2 Medal of Honor citation
3 USNS Gordon
4 See also
5 External links
- 5.1 Official military sites
- 5.2 Memorials
6 References
7 Further Reading

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Biography

Gary Gordon was born in Lincoln, Maine in 1960. Master Sergeant (MSG) Gordon, U.S. Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on October 3, 1993 while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Gordon's sniper team provided precision fire from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire. When MSG Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site of Super 64, he and another sniper, Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the large and growing number of hostile Somalis closing in on the site.

After his third request to be inserted, Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, he was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Shortly after, the Blackhawk that had inserted Gordon and Shughart was hit by an RPG, but managed to crash land back at the U.S. controlled airport.

Equipped with only his sound-suppressed CAR-15 and Colt M1911 .45 caliber pistol, Gordon and his fellow sniper, 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 of Super 64. He immediately pulled pilot Mike Durant and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position.

Gordon used his custom sniper rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers. He was down to his last magazine and had used half of it before he was fatally wounded. Fellow Delta sniper Shughart then took Gordon's CAR-15 to Durant for him to use.

Gordon's actions saved the pilot's life.

In the 2001 blockbuster movie adapted from the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden), MSG Gordon was portrayed by the Danish actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau.

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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army.

Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Entered service at: -----

Born: Lincoln, Maine.

Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper 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 his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, 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. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately 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. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

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USNS Gordon

The U.S. Navy officially named a roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Gordon in a ceremony at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 4, 1996, at Newport News, Virginia.

The Honorable Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, was the ceremony's principal speaker. Serving as the ship's sponsor was Carmen Gordon, widow of the ship's namesake.

Distinguished guests attending the ceremony include:

John W. Douglass, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition
General Dennis J. Reimer, Army Chief of Staff
General (Retired) Wayne A. Downing, former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command
Vice Admiral George R. Sterner, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command
Vice Admiral Philip M. Quast, Commander, Military Sealift Command
General Henry Shelton, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command
General (Retired) Gordon R. Sullivan, former Army Chief of Staff
Brigadier General (Retired) William G. Boykin, Master Sgt. Gordon's Commanding Officer in Somalia and former Commander of the Army's Combat Applications Group
Mr. William P. Fricks, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newport News Shipbuilding.

Gordon was the second ship to undergo conversion from a commercial container vessel to a Large Medium Speed Roll On/Roll Off (LMSR) sealift ship and is operated by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.

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