MOH MSG Gary Gordon's grave vandalized in Maine

“American Hero” veteran’s grave vandalized. Police need our help in finding out who did it.

Law Enforcement Today
by: Kyle S. Reyes
May 23, 2020

LINCOLN, MAINE – It’s exactly the kind of story we don’t want to be reporting on Memorial Day Weekend.

Police are looking for help in finding whoever is responsible for desecrating the grave of an “American hero”.

They put up a Facebook post about the damage this week:

“MSG Gary Gordon is not only a hometown hero for Lincoln, he’s an American Hero!!” they said.

The vandalism to his gravestone is believed to have occurred sometime within the last 2 weeks.

“There has been talk that this may have been done as an additional honor, where Medal of Honor recipients have gold, inlaid to the engravings and that this is still a work in progress,” they said.

But if that’s the case, they said the family was never notified that this was happening.
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Medal of Honor Monday: Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon

Department of Defense
BY KATIE LANGE
JULY 1, 2019

If you've ever seen the movie "Black Hawk Down," then you know the story of Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon. Gordon and his comrade, Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, made the most difficult decision service members could ever make — to give their lives for their brothers in arms. This Medal of Honor Monday, we honor Gordon's life and sacrifice during a 1993 humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

Gary Gordon was born Aug. 30, 1960, and grew up in Lincoln, Maine. At the age of 18, he joined the Army and was a combat engineer for many years before being selected for the elite Special Forces group known as Delta Force.
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From Black Hawk Down to Orlando VA, veteran fights to save lives

This ‘Black Hawk Down’ special operator is still fighting, but on a different front
Army Times
By: Neil Fotre
August 2, 2018

“I’ve lost almost as many friends to substance abuse in the form of overdose deaths or death by suicide coupled with substance abuse disorders than those lost in war.” Dr. Norman Hooten

“It’s about the men next to you. And that’s it. That’s all it is.”

Norman Hooten, bottom right, is pictured with other special operations soldiers in Somalia. (Courtesy photo)

That line in Ridley Scott’s acclaimed movie “Black Hawk Down” is holding true for one of the U.S. military’s most fabled special operators.

The real-life Delta Force operator who went by “Hoot,” and who was portrayed by Eric Bana in the movie, today fights a three-pronged enemy that continues to plague troops and veterans: post traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and substance abuse.

Almost 25 years after the infamous Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, which led to the “Black Hawk Down” book and movie, retired Master Sgt. Norman Hooten is now Dr. Norman Hooten.

Hooten is a full-time health care provider at the Orlando VA Medical Center. And he has first-hand experience with the effects of war, including a platoon sergeant he had known early in his career who died by suicide after struggling with PTSD and substance abuse.
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Black Hawk Down Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Wayne Bray Passed Away

Air Force veteran whose story was told in 'Black Hawk Down' dies
The Courier-Tribune (Tribune News Service)
By Judi Brinegar
Published: October 29, 2016

S/Sgt. Jeffrey Wayne Bray's actions in Somalia in 1993 earned him a Silver Star and were later portrayed in the movie, “Black Hawk Down.” He died Oct. 24 at the age of 49. COURTESY BRAY FAMILY

ASHEBORO — A recognized hero, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Wayne Bray, 49, a Randolph County, N.C. native, died Oct. 24 at Columbus Regional Healthcare.

You might not know his name, but his actions in Somalia in 1993 earned him a Silver Star —and those actions were later portrayed in the movie, “Black Hawk Down.”

Bray was born in Randolph County in 1966, the son of Martha Woodell Lindsey of Asheboro and the late John Franklin Bray.

Bray was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Senior Airman who served with a Combat Control Team.
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Black Hawk Down Chris Faris Retiring After 31 Years

Top MacDill enlisted leader, veteran of Mogadishu's 'Black Hawk Down' battle, to retire 
Tampa Bay Times
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Sunday, January 25, 2015

Chris Faris, command sergeant major of U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base,is retiring at the end of February after 31 years in the military. He is also a co-grand marshal of Gasparilla 2015. Photo courtesy Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

He acknowledged the battle that cost the lives of 18 U.S. troops and left 73 others wounded is never far from his mind. "I probably think about it two million times a day, every day," Faris said. "You don't go to war without being changed."

TAMPA — Chris Faris was wounded in Mogadishu in 1993 as a member of the elite Delta Force during the battle made famous in the book and film Black Hawk Down. And he has spent nearly six years deployed overseas since 2002, often while on secret missions in the world's most-dangerous places. But the work one of the grand marshals of the 2015 Gasparilla celebration wants to be remembered for is his effort to encourage soldiers to seek the help they might need after returning from war.

Faris is command sergeant major — the top enlisted leader — of U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, and has earned seven Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart in his 31 years in the Army. He will retire at the end of February. That, Faris said, is enough.
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Navy SEAL Howard Wasdin, "Rock Star to Rock Bottom" in PTSD Battle

Former Navy SEAL Team 6 Sniper Reveals How He Rediscovered His Faith After Hitting Rock Bottom
The Blaze
Billy Hallowell
Nov. 4, 2014

Upon his return, he faced both PTSD and survivors’ guilt, wondering, “Why were these guys taken and why was I allowed to live?”

The Last Rescue by Howard Wasdin

Howard Wasdin, a former top sniper with Navy SEAL Team 6, is hoping that his story of overcoming intense personal struggles will inspire others who are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Wasdin recently told TheBlaze about the issues he faced after sustaining injuries during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu (also known as Black Hawk Down) in Somalia.

The incident took a physical toll on Wasdin, forcing him to leave the military and assimilate back into civilian life.

The former military fighter, who is now an author and a chiropractor, said that he initially hit rock bottom after leaving the service, forcing himself to crawl his way out of a world filled with pain and despair — an experience he recaps in his newly released book “The Last Rescue.”

“It’s a powerful redemption story that will hit home to anyone who has found him or herself in a dark place,” Wasdin said of the book.

The decorated former Navy SEAL said that after being wounded and “on the verge of death,” leaving the military was intensely difficult. Struggling to adjust, he ended up divorcing, turning to alcohol and finding himself profoundly confused about his destiny.

“I got a divorce right after getting out of the SEAL Team — a lot of bad things snowballing for me there,” he said, noting that he also became a single dad tasked with caring for his son. “After that, I jumped into the bottle and became best friends with Jack for a while, last name Daniels.”

Considering that the military was the only thing Wasdin truly knew and the only real job he had ever had, he said he was left distraught and disconnected.

Over time, though, Wasdin said that he was able to overcome these struggles through counseling and a return to his Christian roots — ideals he had previously abandoned in his adult life, placing his sole focus on his career.
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Black Hawk Down CSM Robert Gallagher Died at 52

Decorated soldier from 'Black Hawk Down' battle in Somalia dies at 52
FoxNews.com
Published October 23, 2014

Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Gallagher was in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 and in Baghdad for the U.S. invasion in 2003. When he retired, he worked to serve soldiers. He died on Oct. 13 at age 52.
(3rd Infantry Division/Facebook)

A decorated soldier who participated in the Somalia battle immortalized by Hollywood blockbuster “Black Hawk Down” was reportedly found dead in his Georgia home earlier this month.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Gallagher, 52, died of natural causes as a result of a heart condition, the Army Times reports. He served as the command sergeant major for the Army’s Wounded Warrior Program, but had extensive experience in major combat operations, including Operation Just Cause in Panama and with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia, which was later made famous by the 2001 film.

“You know, I don’t say this lightly, but Bob is probably one of, probably the best soldier I ever served with, retired Col. Greg Gadson told the newspaper. “That man really cared about soldiers.”

Born in Bayonne, N.J., Gallagher joined the Army in 1981 and later earned several awards and decorations, including a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. He earned the Silver Star in 2002 during Operation Iraqi Freedom as troops advanced from Kuwait to Baghdad, when he suffered a leg wound but continued to direct his men.
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Declaration of Independence, read publicly in Exeter in 1776 and 2014

Veterans shine at moving tribute
Seacoast Online
May 20, 2014

On Saturday evening New Hampshire Senators Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, led the Pledge of Allegiance at the second annual Veteran's Count Salute Our Soldiers gala at Service Credit Union headquarters in Portsmouth.

But these political luminaries were not the stars of the night.

Through a feat of diplomacy, determination and security that simply boggles the mind, Julie Williams, director of the American Independence Museum in Exeter was able to wheel out, in a Colonial-style display case crafted for the event, the priceless Dunlap Broadside Declaration of Independence, read publicly in Exeter in 1776 by John Taylor Gilman.

The Declaration, along with original drafts of the U.S. Constitution, a Purple Heart awarded by George Washington, a Purple Heart awarded to Bill Schuler and a Congressional Medal of Honor awarded by Franklin Roosevelt to Harl Pease, will be on display at Service Credit Union, and may be viewed by the public free of charge, through May 29, from noon to 5 p.m. each day.

But these shining American treasures, however impressive, were not the stars of the night.

The stars, as keynote speakers Col. Danny McKnight ("Black Hawk Down") and Jim Webb (former U.S. senator and secretary of the Navy) noted very clearly, are America's military veterans who, from the dawn of our nation's history, have answered the highest calling to protect our sacred freedoms.

The cherished ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution have been protected by the men and women of the military who have fought and sometimes made the ultimate sacrifice for Americans' life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Honored Saturday night were veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. There were parents whose sons and daughters are deployed to Afghanistan today and who know the mixture of pride and anxiety that comes from having someone you love putting themselves in harms way in service of our glorious country.
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Fort Bliss Command Sgt. Major Died After Being Wounded

Soldier who helped in Jessica Lynch rescue dies after Afghanistan attack
Stars and Stripes
By Audrea Huff
Published: May 16, 2014

Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras
FORT BLISS PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE/U.S. ARMY

A Fort Bliss command sergeant major died at a Texas hospital a week after his unit was attacked in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said Thursday.

Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras, 49, of Tucson, Ariz., died Tuesday at San Antonio Military Medical Center from wounds sustained when enemy forces opened fire on his unit May 6 in Herat province.

Fox News reported Friday that a friend and fellow Ranger said in an email that Barreras was the leader of the Army unit that conducted the successful rescue of Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital. The friend said Barreras personally handed Lynch to another soldier to transfer her to the helicopter that evacuated her from the area.

And in a story on military.com, he is credited with advising the actors in the 2001 film, "Black Hawk Down."

Then-Sgt. 1st Class Martin Barreras was quoted as saying, “I want them to remember the sense of teamwork that is inherent to a Ranger organization and the amount of attention to detail that’s required from every individual that is part of that team.”
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