
Lessons from Black Hawk Down
Part I: Nine personal defense truths through the lens of the Battle of Mogadishu.
Story and photos by Paul PawelaEditor’s note: As the 28th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu between US forces and Somali militiamen took place early last month, the author, having many close personal friends who fought in that engagement, sought to use the lessons learned in Mogadishu, as gleaned from Mark Bowden’s book Black Hawk Down, and apply them to the civilian world of personal defense. This is part one of the article. Part two will appear next month.
As a lifelong student of hoplology (the science that studies human combative behavior and performance), I am always researching and gathering as much credible and useful information on the subject of combatives as possible. If you are similarly inclined, then I recommend Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down as required reading on the application of both modern and urban warfare.
The popular book, as well as the Academy Award-winning 2001 film of the same name, depicts the courageous performance of US Army Rangers, Delta Force and SEAL Team Six operators during the now-famous battle in Mogadishu, Somalia. I studied the lessons learned and how they apply in other defensive situations, such as civilian personal encounters.
This article outlines key points from Bowden’s book and parallels that might offer you some personal takeaways from the hard-fought lessons of Mogadishu.
POINT ONE: The book Black Hawk Down states, “War was ugly and evil, for sure, but it was still the way things got done on most of the planet. Civilized states had nonviolent ways of resolving disputes, but that depended on the willingness of everyone involved to back down. Here in the raw Third World, people hadn’t learned to back down, at least not until after a lot of blood flowed. Victory was for those willing to fight and die.” Parallel: Violence and crime are also ugly and evil. Elitist politicians and others have methods and plans for solving disputes, but in the end, conflict is typically resolved by a military soldier, police officer or armed citizen. Victory, in the context of violent crime, goes to those who are willing to deal with it head on.