Gary Gordon
A Delta Force operator who, with Randy Shughart, made the ultimate sacrifice in a desperate attempt to save a downed helicopter crew in Mogadishu.
1960–1993 (age 33)·United States Army Medal of Honor recipient·Birthday: August 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gary Gordon grew up in Lincoln, Maine, a quiet outdoorsman who would become one of the U.S. military's most skilled soldiers. Enlisting in the Army in 1978, he excelled, joining the elite Delta Force. His final mission was in the chaotic streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993. When a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down and the rescue convoy was pinned, Gordon and his teammate Randy Shughart, snipers providing overwatch from another helicopter, requested to be inserted to protect the critically wounded crew. Knowing the overwhelming odds, they were dropped into a maelstrom of militia fighters. Armed only with rifles and sidearms, they held off waves of attackers, creating a defensive perimeter around the crash site until they ran out of ammunition. Their selfless act allowed the pilot to survive, and their valor became a defining story of modern military sacrifice.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gary was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gary Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Gary's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Died at 33
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.
- Served as a sniper team leader in the Army's premier special operations unit, Delta Force.
- His and Shughart's actions were directly responsible for the survival of the downed Black Hawk pilot, Michael Durant.
Did You Know?
He was an avid hunter and fisherman from a young age in rural Maine.
Before joining Delta Force, he served as a squad leader in the 2nd Infantry Division.
The story of his and Shughart's heroism was central to the book and film 'Black Hawk Down'.
He is buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Maine, and a middle school in his hometown is named in his honor.
“I'm going in. You can mark it down and put my name on it.”
