‘Black Hawk Down’ hero’s just-in-case letter: ‘We believe in each other’
FORT GORDON — Master Sgt. Gary Gordon left behind a letter before he was killed while heroically protecting a downed U.S. helicopter pilot in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
Written in case of his death, the Delta Force sniper’s letter describes his military comrades as “my other family, hard achievers, type AAs who live and strive to be the best at what they are.”
“I have learned a lot about myself from them — that I am only human and that I still have a long way to go,” he wrote. “I love them all because we believe in each other.”
Gordon’s valor in Somalia is portrayed in the bestselling book and Academy Award-winning film of the same name, “Black Hawk Down.”
His widow, Carmen Owens, read from his letter here Friday during a ceremony honoring Gordon after the Pentagon renamed the Georgia military base after him. Moments later, she and their son, Ian, helped unveil a new “Welcome to Fort Gordon” sign.
The renaming ceremony was the second held at military posts in Georgia this year — and took place as federal lawmakers push for both of the bases to be renamed yet again.
The ceremonies at Fort Gordon and Fort Benning were prompted by the Trump administration, which restored the bases’ original names earlier this year. That was in response to the Biden administration changing the names of the two Georgia bases in 2023 so they would no longer honor Confederate figures.
Fort Benning in Columbus was originally named after Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry Benning. Two years ago, it was switched to Fort Moore in honor of the late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Julie Moore, a famous husband-and-wife duo known for their strong support for military families. In March, the Pentagon announced it would be renamed Fort Benning, this time in honor of Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism during World War I.
Located in Augusta, Fort Gordon was originally named after John Gordon, a Confederate general. Its name was changed in 2023 in honor of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In June, the Trump administration said it would switch back to Fort Gordon, this time honoring Gary Gordon.
Those base names could change yet again under a sweeping defense spending bill the Republican-led House of Representatives passed this month. Measures tucked in the legislation call for switching Fort Benning back to Fort Moore and changing Fort Gordon to Fort Shughart Gordon.
The latter renaming would recognize Gary Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, a fellow Delta Force sniper who also was killed while trying to rescue the downed Black Hawk pilot in Somalia. Both Shughart and Gordon posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their courageous actions.
The House bill won the support of nearly every Republican in Georgia’s delegation, including U.S. Rep. Rick Allen of Evans. Allen, who attended Friday’s ceremony here, called renaming the base after Gary Gordon “a great tribute.” Asked about the proposal for adding Shughart’s name to the post, Allen said: “I am leaving it up to the Army.”
The Senate version of the defense bill does not include the same language for renaming the Georgia bases. Once the Senate approves its version, lawmakers from both chambers would need to iron out a compromise ahead of a revote.
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock’s offices declined to comment about the issue.
During the ceremony at Fort Gordon on Friday morning, Owens read from a letter Shughart’s widow, Stephanie, wrote for the occasion. In her letter, Stephanie Shughart wrote that her late husband grew up working on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. He loved the outdoors and hunted with his father. Shughart married Stephanie in 1991.
“Randy was a friend who could always be counted on,” Owens read from the letter. “He was a quiet presence in a crowd, listening more than speaking. When he did speak, his words had merit.”
Owens continued reading from another part of the letter that paraphrases Isaiah 6:8: “Randy would answer the call of ‘Whom shall I send?’ He would answer, ‘Here am I. Send me.”
-AJC staff writer Tia Mitchell contributed to this report.
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