European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                O death Rescue continued from Page 15 prisoners. Then at about 4 15 ., As the ground Convoy neared the olympic hotel the first helicopter was shot Down by 23 my Cannon fire from the hotel As it patrolled overhead. Most of the Ranger detachment scrambled to the nearby crash site to Rescue any survivors while the ground Convoy evacuated the prisoners. Somali forces immediately surrounded the crash site and rangers pinning them Down under fire. A second helicopter was shot Down piloted by chief War Raj officer 3 Michael Durant who was to be taken hostage for 11 Days. Then a third Black Hawk was hit As it assisted the second downed aircraft. The stricken helicopter hobbled Back to the Airport and landed. By this time the rangers at the first crash site had sealed off an intersection a defending themselves with. Machine guns and grenade launchers As their number of wounded grew. The somali forces shot Back from rooftops buildings and Trees. Quot we tried to keep moving every two to three minutes to keep from being a target one Ranger told the stars and stripes from his Hospital bed in Germany. Quot. I saw a muzzle of a weapon from every  at this Point the 10th Mountain div s Quick reaction Force �?2nd in 14th inf regt a was called to go in by ground and Rescue the rangers. Shortly before 6  A Nightfall in equatorial Somalia a about 200 soldiers from the battalion s co c rolled West and North from the Airport. But their humvee and unarmed 5-ton trucks soon came under fire at the traffic i Circle in South Mogadishu known As k-4. With several wounded of its own and no armoured vehicles to protect its men from gunfire co c retreated Back to the Airport while the battalion commander u. Col. Bill David worked up the next step in his improvised Rescue plan deciding he needed a larger Force he called in co a. Meyerowich s infantrymen were sent into the City after 10 ., six hours after the first helicopter was shot Down they hurriedly borrowed malaysian armoured personnel carriers with malaysian Drivers and were accompanied by malaysian tanks. Meyerowich could t communicate by radio from inside the armoured vehicles so he Rode with the Rescue Convoy in his humvee. Quot there were a lot of bad Guys out there that night the 29-year-old Captain said of the Street fighting much of which was done on foot. Alpha company had to contend with Quot men out there dressed like women women throwing hand grenades kids coming into recon our position and go Hack to Tell  the . Infantrymen were also slowed Down. Capt. Drew Meyerowich Quot considerably Quot by the malaysian Drivers who used different training tactics Ana a different language Meyerowich said. Quot malaysian tanks refused to move Forward without pcs in front of them Quot the Captain said. Quot if it were my soldiers telling me they won t go i d have kicked them in the  instead he had to be diplomatic. Soldiers in a neighbouring unit told reporters they had to hold a gun to the head of a malaysian commander in order to persuade the Drivers to continue the Battle but Meyerowich would not comment on the incident saying his soldiers did t have to resort to such tactics. Still at Midnight after Alpha company had crossed National Street and was battling its Way into the neighbourhood of the olympic hotel two of Meyerowich s armoured personnel carriers acc Dently turned Down a Side Street instead of going straight. Cut off from the Rescue Convoy one was shot by somali anti Armor weapons. The soldiers piled out safely just As the second was  that was the loneliest feeling in the world when we got out of those pcs Quot said pfc. James Cooper. Quot there was no one. We were taking fire All  time he fired his m-60 machine gun Cooper said somalis fired rocket propelled grenades at him. After the Battle he had to Trade in his shrapnel scarred flak Vest for a new one. Meyerowich said he had no Choice but to assume that the missing vehicles and men were lost and it was t until the following morning that he linked up with them again. The Rescue troops next encountered Street barricades in front of the olympic hotel and they had to climb out of the personnel carriers to dear the obstacles. That s where Martin was shot and kilted falling quickly amid a Midnight barrage of somali gunfire according to the Alpha company troops. Quot we were moving so fast Down that Street and it seems now like we were crawling Quot Meyerowich said of the Battle. Quot you can remember even the most minute Little thing like rubbing something off your or looking at your watch Quot added Cooper. Quot it s imprinted on your brain even though at the time it did t seem like  after fighting for two Kilometres a More than a mile a Alpha company reached the first helicopter crash site where the rangers had been surrounded and holed up for nine hours. Meyerowich said he found four to five dead rangers 30 or More wounded and about 90 others penned in by gunfire As they protected the crash site. The dead Pilot of the helicopter could t be recovered in darkness so Alpha company stayed with the rangers until after 5 a.m., when Dawn came. Then retrieving the bodies they fought their Way to the safety of the abandoned Mogadishu stadium. On a second trip into the City that night the battalion s co c successfully fought its Way to the second crash site a where Durant was taken prisoner. But arriving at the wreckage the Charlie company troops found no signs of americans dead or alive according to Meyerowich. Sgt Scott Mcdonald who was wounded in the a a. Sas Vince Crawley shoulder on the Alpha company Rescue Mission said his mind went Quot just kind of Blank Quot during the six hours of combat As he fought his Way to the crash site then held off somali militia until Dawn. He kept thinking he said Quot that we had to get those americans  his Reward came the next Day he said when the units were evacuated to a Safe location. A Ranger came up to Mcdonald and said two simple words a Quot thank you a that made Alt the fighting worthwhile. Press reports from the United states on Christmas week also said that rangers from fort Benning ga., were travelling to fort drum n.y., to Welcome Alpha company Home. A the hardest part of Battle is not during it s after Sai spec Ray Roberts a co a infantryman. Quot you re standing watching them carry the stretchers to the choppers and think hey some of those Guys Are your friends Quot Cooper the machine gunner said of the aftermath. Quot afterwards Quot Meyerowich said of the morning following combat Quot some Guys cry some Guys scream some Guys . Still Roberts said Quot if another chopper was to go Down there in t one of us who would t go out and Rescue  for their fighting in downtown Mogadishu troops from Alpha and Charlie companies were awarded the Cam infantryman badge in mid november. Considered a distinction among soldiers in combat units the badge c _ be worn on the infantrymen s uniforms for the rest o military careers. A Quot there s something you be got to Trade for your Looper said. Quot it s your friends. It s a Little bit of you. Martin had been his Roommate Back at fort drum. Quot i think what occurred 3 and 4 october a what t Ose Sas Vince Crawley Quot the hardest part of Battle is not during it s after Quot said spec. Ray Roberts above. Pfc. James Cooper left in photo at right and pvt. 1 Sean Enriques spent six hours in combat rescuing lapped troops. Troops did downtown a will live in the legend of military tradition for a Long Long time Quot maj. Gen Carl Ernst commander of the . Task Force in Somalia said in mid november. A Quot beg proud of getting the lib is not being proud of Hilling people Quot Meyerowich explained. Quot the lib symbolized fear and being Able to overcome fear. There is nobody in the world who probably respects life More than a infantryman. We were proud that we were Able to a come the fear of Battle overcome the  in oct. 5, in a Handwritten letter from Mogadishu above after the oct 3 fire fight somalis celebrate Over the clothing of an . Soldier. Left somali children play at the wreckage helicopter where Alpha company fought of a . Tonod.3and4. Sas Kevin Dougherty Meyerowich wrote to Martin s widow Quot we Are All saddened by his loss. Almost 100  rangers wifi forever be in James  at a memorial ceremony for Martin co a played a country song by Billy Ray Cyrus with the recurring Lyric Quot All gave some and some gave  said Meyerowich Quot i m never going to be Able to listen to that song again without thinking of Martin the Cost of w funded  soldiers is a very High Price to pay. But when you look at How Mariy lives were saved. Quot he said it was Quot very inappropriate to show american 1 Karen Martin of fair vhf. Heights ii., mourns the death of her son James. H. Martin or. Killed in action in Mogadishu oct. 3. Bodies being dragged through the streets Quot in newspapers and on television. Meyerowich was also upset by the fact that families of the dead were so quickly asked to appear on talk shows in the United states. Quot soldiers Are supposed to carry the scars of warfare. Not families Quot one infantryman said Quot Why do you want your family to Deal with something you can t Deal with yourself Quot Cooper asked. Quot my parents and my family they know what t do. But they can t it understand what i  and for those who say that duty in Somalia was t combat Cooper has a simple message Quot if somebody comes up to me a i Don t care what rank a and says you got your lib in Somalia and says you did t do nothing ,. I la Belt  staff write Kevin Dougharty contributed to Titia report 16 the stars and stripes monday 3t, 1993 the stars and stripes 17