Army Heroes (ePub)

Three of the most courageous soldiers in American military history are profiled. Gary Gordon was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army while his brother-in-arms, Randy Shughart, was a Sergeant First class.Both men were non-commissioned officers in the United States Army's elite special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta which is more commonly known as "Delta Force."After witnessing one of the Black Hawk helicopters shot down by Somali rebels, both soldiers volunteered to insert themselves on the ground to rescue any remaining survivors. Facing a growing angry mob armed with gunfire, Gordon and Shughart valiantly battled to save their fellow soldiers.Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions during the Battle of Mogadishu in October of 1993. Their acts of courage were later made into a movie called "Black Hawk Down."David Dolby joined the Army from Philadelphia at age 18 and served in the Vietnam War as a specialist four with Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). His platoon would come under heavy fire which killed six soldiers and wounded a number of others, including the platoon leader. Dolby then led his platoon in its defense, organized the extraction of the wounded, and directed artillery fire despite close-range attacks from enemy snipers and automatic weapons. He single-handedly attacked the hostile positions and silenced three machine guns, allowing a friendly force to execute a flank attack. He would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.