Memories of Somalia remain vivid: ten years later, veterans of Somalia recall with mixed emotions their time in East Africa

VFW Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Janie Blankenship

A decade ago, in October 1993, U.S. troops were deployed in an East African country being consumed by starvation. Many of its citizens lived in fear of a despotic warlord, General Aidid, and his unpredictable followers.

America's armed forces were there to restore hope and to offer support to the existing United Nations relief effort. This "peaceful" mission soon became deadly as friend and foe became impossible to distinguish.

Though the Clinton Administration abandoned the mission and the nation quickly forgot, the war in Somalia is still very much on the minds of those who served there.

Army Sgt. Marc Janusz vividly remembers the day he arrived in Somalia--a duty station he volunteered for.

"The first thing I was given was three or four magazines of ammo for my M-9 pistol," recalled Janusz, who was with the 43rd Corps Support Group. "I remember making a joke about 'aren't we here to help these people?'"

His May 11, 1993, arrival came just five months into the U.S. mission. Based at the University Compound in Mogadishu--or "Mog" as it came to be known--Janusz soon learned that it didn't matter that he was there to help. He saw guerrilla tactics at play when Somalis fired from behind women and children.

"I didn't trust many Somalis. Little kids were either waving or giving us the finger," he said. "And the smell was terrible. Bodies in carts lined the road waiting to be buried. Burial details put the bodies where our sidewalks are in America."

For Communications Specialist David Padgett, serving in Somalia was surreal. He was preparing for his annual deer hunt with his father and brother in Jewett, Texas, when he got the call. "After we got briefed on our mission, I had to call my wife, who was vacationing in Hawaii," he said. "She had to sit down for that one."

In addition to the sweltering 100-degree heat in the morning and blowing sand, Padgett was in for a rude awakening the minute he stepped on Somali soil.

"As we left the plane we were issued 120 rounds of ammo and a flak jacket," said Padgett, who was a communications specialist with the 546th Personnel Services Battalion from January to March. "I remember telling Isaac Bell [a fellow soldier] we were really in it now."

Like Janusz, Padgett's memories of Somalia are crystal clear. He was first stationed at the U.S. Embassy and later moved to the university compound.

"The buildings were trashed," he recalled. "There was glass, wood pieces and human waste everywhere. It was gagging. Things we take for granted every day were not even thought about by the common man in Somalia."

Of the 87,000 U.S. troops who served on the Horn of Africa, the one who got the best take on the common man was Michael Durant, the only American prisoner of war. Durant's "shadow" during captivity was a Somali named Firimbi, with whom he corresponded following his release.

A downed Blackhawk helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Durant was offered a hard floor in what he aptly named the "hotel nowhere" to tend to the pain of his broken bones.

"Firimbi was not exactly a joy to behold," he said. "He was sullen and brusque. But one thing was clear--he had no intention of doing me further damage."

Some Things Never Change

Though Janusz says his Somalia tour is one of the best experiences of his life, many of the veterans share his assessment of the final outcome.

"I really did believe in what we were doing at first," he said. "I guess I still believe we can help people. But we were just a speed bump in a civil conflict that still goes on today."

Former 160th AH-6 pilot David DiStefano concurred: "Somalia was hot as hell and filthy dirty. It made you wonder what in the hell they [the Somalis] were fighting for."

To many serving there, it appeared the Somalis resented the U.S. presence and didn't want help. Former Air Force Capt. Bill Sims was in Somalia from September through December 1993. He notes that starvation was briefly halted, but things soon returned to "normal"

"One needs to understand that Somalis are very tribal," said Sims, who served with the Air Mobility Command based at the Mogadishu International Airport. "They seemed more concerned about their khat [a common drug in Somalia] than they did about food and getting their country on its feet."

Padgett remembers what happened when he and his fellow soldiers questioned their mission after 45 days. His commander took them on a "field trip" to an orphanage.

"There must have been 300 kids wearing dirty clothes" he said. "When you look into the eyes of a starving child, you know why you're there."

The biggest morale-buster for the warriors in Somalia was the lack of support from the Clinton Administration. Without this essential backing, what the troops "believed" was irrelevant.

"The new Administration wasn't paying attention to what was going on," Durant said. "There was a political effort under way to befriend Aidid while we were there trying to capture him."

Janusz believes there was some support among the public until Americans started dying. After the Oct. 3-4, 1993, battle in which 18 GIs were killed, it was as though the Administration had turned its back on the entire affair.