- 0:00:18 Epigraph
- Only the dead have seen the end of war. --Plato
- 0:04:11 Civilians Killed at Food Distribution Point
- Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann: Oh, Shit! Did you see that?
Chief, we got unarmed civilians getting shot down here at nine o’clock.
Helicopter Pilot (Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant): I got it, Matt. I don’t think we can touch this.
Somali Militiaman (making announcement to the crowd): This food is the property of Mohamed Farrah Aidid! Go back to your homes!
Helicopter Pilot (on radio): Command Super 64, we got militia shooting unarmed civilians down at the food distribution center. Request permission to engage.
Radio response: Super 64, are you taking fire? Over.
Pilot: Negative, Command.
Radio response: U.N.’s jurisdiction, 64. We cannot intervene. Return to base. Over.
Pilot: Roger. 64 returning.
- 0:07:11 Mr. Atto Detained by American Forces
- Atto: I see not catching Aidid is becoming a routine.
Major General William Garrison: We weren’t trying to catch Aidid. We were trying to catch you.
Atto: Me? (laughs) But am I that important? I hardly think so.
Garrison: You’re just a businessman.
Atto: Trying to make a living.
Garrison: Yeah. Selling guns to Aidid’s militia.
Atto: You’ve been here, what? Six weeks? Six weeks you are trying to catch the general. You put up reward posters. Twenty-five thousand dollars. What is this, gunfight at the K.O. corral?
Garrison: (laughs) It’s the O.K. corral.
Atto: Do you think bringing me in will make him suddenly come to you? Make him more agreeable? Hmm?
Garrison: You know where he sleeps. You pay for his beds, much less his militia. We’re not leaving Somalia till we find him. And we will find him.
Atto: Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because I grew up without running water that I’m a simple man. I do know something about history. See all this? It’s simply shaping tomorrow. A tomorrow without a lot of Arkansas white boys’ ideas in it.
Garrison: Well, I wouldn’t know about that. I’m from Texas.
Atto: Mr. Garrison, I think you shouldn’t have come here. This is civil war. This is our war. Not yours.
Garrision: 300,000 dead and counting. That’s not a war, Mr. Atto. That’s genocide. Now you enjoy that tea, you hear?
- 0:11:09 Private Blackburn Checks In
- Specialist John Grimes: Name?
Blackburn: Todd.
Grimes: Last name?
Blackburn: Blackburn.
Grimes: First name Todd.
Blackburn: So what’s it like?Grimes: What’s what like?
Blackburn: Mogadishu. The fighting.
Grimes: Serial number?
Blackburn: 72163427.
Grimes: Firstly, it’s “the Mog.†Or simply “Mog.†No one calls it Mogadishu here. Secondly, I wouldn’t know about the fighting, so don’t ask.
Blackburn: Why not?
Grimes: Didn’t I just say ‘Don’t ask?’
Grimes: Look, kid, you look like you’re about 12. So let me explain something to you. I have a rare and mysterious skill that keeps me from going on the missions.
Blackburn: Typing.
Grimes: Can you type?
Blackburn: No.
Grimes: Date of birth?
Blackburn: 2, 27, 75. (Grimes enters the information into the computer.)
Blackburn: Well I’m here to kick some ass.
- 0:14:22 Army Ranger/Delta Force Conflict
- Ranger Captain Mike Steele: Sergeant. Sergeant. What’s going on here?
Sergeant First Class Norm “Hoot†Gibson: Just some aerial target practice, sir. Didn’t want to leave it behind.
Steele: I’m talkin’ about your weapon. Delta or no Delta, that’s a hot weapon. You know better than that. Your safety should be on at all times on base.
Gibson: Well, that’s my safety, sir.
Sergeant First Class Jeff Sanderson: Let it go, sir. The guy hasn’t eaten in a couple of days.
Steele: You Delta boys are a bunch of undisciplined cowboys. Let me tell you something, Sergeant. When we get on the five yard line, you’re gonna need my Rangers. So y’all better learn to be team players. We’re done here.
- 0:17:55 Eversmann an Idealist, Who Believes in “The Missionâ€
- Lieutenant John Beales: Ask Sergeant Eversmann. He likes the skinnies.
Soldier: Sergeant Eversmann, you really like the skinnies?
Eversmann: It's not that I like them or I don't like them. I respect them.
Specialist Mike Kurth: See what you guys fail to realize is that the sergeant here is a bit of an idealist. He believes in this mission down to his very bones, don't you, Sergeant?
Eversmann: Look, these people have no jobs, no food, no education, no future. I just figure that, you know, I mean, we have two things that we can do-we can either help or we can sit back and watch the country destroy itself on CNN. Right?
Kurth: I don't know about you guys, but I was trained to fight. Are you trained to fight, Sergeant?
Eversmann: Well, I think I was trained to make a difference, Kurth.
Beales: Like the man said, he's an idealist.
- 0:21:18 Garrison Describes the Mission
- Garrison (addressing his soldiers): A long-anticipated meeting of Aidid's senior cabinet may take place today at 1500 hours. I say ‘may’ because we all know by now with the intel we get on the street, nothing is certain. This is actual intel confirmed by three sources. Two tier-one personalities may be present: Omar Salad, Aidid’s top political advisor, and Abdi Hassan Awale, Interior Minister. These are the guys we’re after. Today we go. Same mission template as before. 1545, Assault Force Delta, will infiltrate the target building and seize all suspects within. Security Force Rangers: 4 Ranger chalks, under command of Captain Steele, will rope in at 1546 and hold a four-corner perimeter around the target building. No one gets in or out. Extraction force: Lt. Colonel McKnight’s humvee column will drive in the city at 1547 on Hawlwadig Road and hold just short of the Olympic Hotel here (pointing to map),wait for the green light. Now once Delta gives the word, McKnight’s column will move to the target building and load the prisoners onto flatbed trucks. Immediately after the prisoners are loaded, the four Ranger chalks will collapse back to the target building, load up on Humvees, and the entire ground force will exfil [Exfiltrate, or leave the area] the three miles back to the base. Mission time, for incursion to extraction, no longer than 30 minutes….
- 0:23:59 McKnight Expresses His Reservations
- Lt. Colonel Tom Matthews: What’s the matter, Danny? Something you don’t like?
Lieutenant Colonel Danny McKnight: No Spectre gunships, daylight instead of night, late afternoon when they’re all fucked up on Khat, only part of the city Aidid can mount a serious counter-attack on short notice, what’s not to like?
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Harrell: Life’s imperfect.
McKnight: Yeah, for you two, circling above it at 500 feet, it’s imperfect. Down on the street, it’s unforgiving.
- 0:26:36 Before the Mission
- Eversmann: Grimesy, I want you to stick with Waddell, and give him ammo when he needs it. Hoo-ah?
Grimes: Hoo-ah.
Waddell: I wouldn’t worry about that. Generally speaking, Somalis can’t shoot for shit.
Soldier: Don’t worry about it. Just watch out for the Sammy’s throwin’ the fuckin’ rocks and you’ll be fine. Might even be fun.
Kurth: D Boys do their thing. All we got to do is cover them. Choppers gonna cover us and we’ll be all right.
- 0:27:47 Grimes Uncertain About Preparation
- Specialist Shawn Nelson (to Grimes who is pouring water into a canteen): You’re not going to need that, dude. We’re not out there long enough.
Specialist Lance Twombly (to Grimes who is packing night binoculars): Yeah, you’re not gonna need that either. We’ll be back before dark. You might as well take dope and beer instead.
Grimes: What?
Twombly: Ammo, dude. Take ammo.
- 0:29:02 Exchange Before Combat
- Sergeant Lorenzo Ruiz: It’s a good thing you’re right-handed, Adonis. If not, I don’t know what you’d do (mimes masturbation).
Sergeant James “Casey†Joyce: You’re a funny guy, man. (Ruiz hands him an envelope). I’m not taking no death letter.
Ruiz: We have a deal (forces it into Joyce’s hand).
Joyce: I’ll give it back to you in an hour.
- 0:33:24 McKnight Briefs His Men
- McKnight: It's 3 miles to the target area. We're never off the main roads. At the K-4 traffic circle, we turn north, then east on National, and we wait until extraction of prisoners is complete here (pointing to map). Then we roll up in force on Hawlwadig. We load up the prisoners and then the assault-blocking forces, and bring 'em back. Home in an hour, OK? Now there will be some shootin', the Bakara Market is the Wild West. But be careful what you shoot at because people do live there. Hoo-ah.
Rangers: Hoo-ah.
- 0:35:42 Garrison Addresses the Rangers in Helicopter
- Garrison: Good luck, boys. Be careful. No one gets left behind. (Garrison Leaves)
Grimes: What's wrong?
Eversmann: Nothing,he's just never done that before.
Grimes: Aw fuck.
- 0:51:02 Black Hawk Down
- Staff Sergeant Daniel Busch: We got 3 guys with RPG's, coming up on your side now.
Wolcott: STAY WITH IT! This is 6-1, I'm hit. I'm hit.
Matthews (radio): Super 6-1 is hit. He is hit. Wolcott's bird is hit.
Wolcott: You wanna pull those PCL's offline or what?
Chief Warrant Officer Donovan Briley: Right, Babe.
Wolcott (radio): 6-1 going down. 6-1 going down.
Matthews (radio): 6-1 is going down. He is going down.
Harrell (radio): Super 6-1 is going down. 6-1 is going down. Super 6-1 is going down.
Voice (unidentified; radio): 6-1 is going down. I repeat, it’s going down. 6-1 is going down.
Wolcott: Hold on! Aaah! (6-1 crashes) Aaah.
Harrell (radio): We got a Black Hawk down. We got a Black Hawk down.
Matthews: Super-6-1 is down. We got a bird down in the city.
- 1:17:01 More Going Out
- Staff Sergeant Jeff Struecker: All right, gather round. Durant's 6-4 is down. We're going back in to get him.
Sergeant Keni Thomas: That's crazy, is there anyone alive on that?
Struecker: Doesn't matter. No one gets left behind. You know that.
Hoot: We're wasting time here.
Struecker: All right. Refit and max out ammo and grenades. You got 5.
Sizemore, where the hell do you think you're going?
Specialist Dale Sizemore: With you guys.
Struecker: Not with that cast on you're not. (Sizemore moves to cut off cast). All right, all right, all right. Go get your K-pot.
Struecker: (to Thomas) Hey, talk to me.
Thomas: I can't go back out there.
Struecker: Thomas, everyone feels the same way you do, all right? It's what you do right now that makes a difference. It's your call. Hoo-ah?
Thomas: Hoo-ah.
- 1:26:34 Two Man Rescue Squad
- Unidentified Voice (radio): C:2, Shughart and Gordon are on the deck. Over.
Harrell: Roger.
Master Sergeant Gary Gordon: Friendlies.
Chief Warrant Office Michael Durant: God, it's good to see you.
Gordon: It's good to see you. How bad?
Durant: My leg's broken and my back feels kind of weird.
Gordon: We've gotta get you out of here, buddy. (to Shughart) Pulling him out, cover.
Durant: Wait, I….aaahhh.
Gordon: I’m putting you down.
Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart: C:2, we're at the 6-4 crash site, securing perimeter.
Harrell (radio): Roger that.
Shughart: You all right?
Durant: Yeah, I'm good.
Shughart: You're locked and loaded, any skinnies come around these corners, you watch our backs.
Durant: Hey, where's the rescue squad?
Shughart: We're it.
- 1:43:58 Durant The Hostage
- Somali War Chief Firimbi: Durant, Michael Durant.
Durant: Yes.
Firimbi: You are the ranger who kills my people.
Durant: I'm not a ranger, I'm a pilot.
Firimbi (offers Durant a cigarette, which Durant declines): That's right, none of you Americans smoke any more. You all live long dull, uninteresting lives.
Durant: What do you want with me?
Firimbi: You have taken hostages. We have you.
Durant: My government will never negotiate for me.
Firimbi: Then perhaps you and I can negotiate, huh? Soldier to soldier,hmm?
Durant: I'm not in charge.
Firimbi: Course not, you have the power to kill, but not to negotiate. In Somalia killing is negotiation. Do you really think that if you get General Aidid we will simply put down our weapons and adopt American democracy? That the killing will stop? We know this: that without victory, there can be no peace. There will always be killing, you see? This is how things are in our world.
(Pilot Voice on Radio, as helicopter circles city): Mike Durant, We won't leave you behind. Mike Durant, We won't leave you behind.
- 1:53:07 Corporal Smith Dies
- Corporal Jamie Smith: I can't die here, man.
Sergeant First Class Kurt Schmid: (still lying) You're not gonna die, all right, you're not gonna die.
Smith: I'm sorry.
Eversmann: You don't have anything to be sorry for. You saved Twombly, you did perfect.
Smith: You okay, Twombs?
Twombly: Yeah, I'm okay, Jamie.
Eversmann: See, you did what you were trained to do. You should be proud of that. Be proud of that.
Smith: Ev?
Eversmann: Yeah.
Smith: Do me a favor, okay?
Eversmann: Yeah.
Smith: Tell my parents that I fought well today. And that I... that I..And that I fought hard.
Eversmann: You're gonna tell them yourself okay? Do you hear me? All right?
Smith: Are... are the humvees here?
Eversmann: They're coming, Jamie. They're coming. You just gotta hang in there a little longer. Can you hold on for just a little bit? You can do it.
Smith: I can. I can. It's nothing.
Eversmann: It's nothing, it's nothing.
Smith: It's nothing.
Eversmann: It's nothing.
Smith: Nothing (dies)
Schmid: Oh Shit, hold the wound (begins mouth to mouth and CPR on Smith)
Eversmann: Doc. Doc. (Doc stops trying to revive Smith).
Eversmann: It's OK.
- 1:55:54 It’s Just War
- Eversmann: What are you doing?
Hoot (taking the ammo clip from Smith’s weapon): We need the ammo. You did all you could here.
Eversmann: They should have sent a medivac.
Hoot: And right now we'd be out there defending another crashed chopper. More men would get torn up.
Eversmann: Maybe.
Hoot: See, you're thinking. Don't. 'Cause, Sergeant, you can't control who gets hit or who doesn't, who falls out of the chopper or why. It ain't up to you. It's just war.
Eversmann: Yeah, well, Smith's still dead. Blackburn wouldn’t have fallen, none of this would've happened.
Hoot: Look, should have or would have, it don't matter. You'll get plenty of time to think about that later, believe me. Sergeant, you got your men this far. You did it right today. You need to start thinking about getting these men out of here. Well, shall we?
- 2:02:57 Recovering Wolcott’s Body
- Garrison: Colonel, what is goin’ on down there?
McKnight: They're dismantling the entire cockpit around the body.
Garrison: Well, how long is it gonna take? I need an honest no-shit assessment.
McKnight: They can't say.
Garrison: Danny, no one gets left behind. You understand me, son?
McKnight: Yes, General.
Garrison: You do what you have to do.
McKnight: Roger.
- 2:10:40 Ruiz Dying/Meets Captain Steele
- Steele: Ruiz. Hey, Sergeant. Hey.
Ruiz: Captain.
Steele: Lorenzo. How you doing?
Ruiz: It went in and out so the medic said I should be ok in a couple of days.
Steele: That's great news.
Ruiz: We going after them?
Steele: You bet your ass we will. We got to regroup.
Ruiz: Don't go out there without me.
Ruiz: Don't go back out there without me. I can still do my job.
Steele: You get some rest now, ok?
- 2:11:44 Hoot’s Explanation: They Won’t Understand
- Eversmann: You’re going back in?
Hoot: There are still men out there. Goddam. When I go home and people ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it, man? Why? You some kind of war junkie?†I won't say a goddam word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand it's about the men next to you. And that's it. That's all it is.
Hoot: (Eversmann makes a move to go with Hoot) Hey,don't even think about it, all right? I'm better on my own. (leaving and looking back) Hey, we started a whole new week! It's Monday.
- 2:13:01 American Heroes
- Eversmann: I was talking to Blackburn the other day, and he asked me, “What changed? Why are we going home?†And I said, “Nothing.†But that's not true, you know. I think everything’s changed. I know I've changed. You know a friend of mine asked me before I got here, just when we were all shipping out. He asked me, "Why are you going to fight somebody else’s war? What do y'all think, you're heroes?" I didn't know what to say at the time, but if he asked me again, I'd say no. I'd say there's no way in hell. Nobody asks to be a hero. It just sometimes turns out that way.
Eversmann: (addressing Smith’s corpse) I’m gonna talk to your ma and pa when I get home, okay?
- 2:15:00 Ruiz’s Letter
- Ruiz’s Letter (in voice-over, during final credits):
Ruiz: My love, you are strong and you will do well in life. I love you and my children deeply. Today and tomorrow, let each day grow and grow. Keep smiling and never give up even when things get you down. So in closing, my love, tonight tuck my children in bed warmly. Tell them I love them, and then hug them for me and give them both a kiss goodnight for Daddy.
