"We all came to peace with it -- if I die here, I die here. But I'm not going to let it happen to the guys around me. That's what it became about. We weren't fighting for the flag, or the nation or freedom. I wasn't even thinking about my family. All I thought about was that I wasn't going to let anything happen to the guy on my left and the guy on my right."
– U.S. Army Ranger Keni Thomas, Task Force Ranger
Commemorate 30 years since the battle in Somalia that resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of 18 U.S. servicemen, including two Delta Force snipers who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. This Challenge honors the men of Task Force Ranger (3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta; and 10th Mountain Division) their courage and sacrifice on 3/4 October 1993 to achieve mission success, albeit at great cost. Expect a history lesson and a timeline re-enactment of the mission that inspired Black Hawk Down.
Pain is the theme of all GORUCK Challenges. Our Special Forces Cadres will ensure it’s pain with purpose by pushing individuals out of their comfort zones and building each class into a team. Train hard and show up ready. It’s worth it.
“Team is Everything”
I retired after 20 years in the US Army (1984 – 2004). I spent over 16 years in the one and only Special Forces aka Green Berets. I was with 5th Special Forces Group (A). I started as a communications sergeant and retired as an ODA Team Sergeant (Best job in the World). I have been teaching JROTC since 2006 and will retire in 2026. I live in Upstate SC where I grew up.
“Your Pain is my Pleasure”
Deployments
Desert Storm – Kuwait/Iraq 1991
Restore Hope – Somalia 1992
Uphold Democracy – Haiti 1994
Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan 2001-2002
Iraqi Freedom – Iraq 2003