I am not big on anniversaries. It’s not that I don’t care but for some reason remembering dates is hard for me and they usually have a tendency to sneak up on me. Thankfully social media helps in this regard but, unless it is in the immediacy of my house, I still tend to miss the significance of the time until it is almost past. That is indeed the case with this article, it probably should have been written several days ago but alas, that is not the case and, in several ways, I think that I am better for it because looking back can provide a clarity that can be lost in the moment. So, what am I talking about? October 3, 1993, and October 7, 2023.
If October 3, 1993, doesn’t jump off the page, how about a little mental nudge with a book/movie reference – Black Hawk Down, to help you out? Although my Army career would not start for another 7 years, this event largely shaped what I would learn and do in my relatively short military career. Instead of watching the movie, perhaps we should hear from the folks there that day, which is possible because the Modern War Institute did just that in their latest podcast. (Actually, the conversation was originally recorded in 2018 and released as an episode of the MWI Podcast on the thirtieth anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu.) From the description:
“Thirty years ago this week – on October 3, 1993 – US special operations forces launched a mission in Mogadishu. It was part of Operation Gothic Serpent, which was aimed at capturing Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The mission was intended to be of a short duration. But things changed when, shortly after members of Task Force Ranger launched from their base, fighters on the ground began firing on US aircraft. The battle that ensued – which would later become the subject of journalist Mark Bowden’s book, Black Hawk Down, and subsequently a film of the same name – lasted well into the next day. In this episode, you’ll hear from three people who took part in that battle. Listen as they share their firsthand perspectives of the action over those two days, describing the challenges they faced, reflecting on what was required to overcome those challenges, and exploring the lessons the battle holds for future Army leaders.”
It’s not just lessons for future Amy leaders though, anyone who has faced or potentially will face adversity should be able to take something away from this episode. I highly recommend listening to the whole thing. Here are some of the lessons that they provide at the end of the show:
- Fight Light – Fight off the vehicle and what it carries first, have a go-bag
- Water
- Chow is not a priority
- Seek a better planning process – Cross-train
- *Medical –Gauze, tourniquets, chest seals, and the importance of direct pressure all were lessons learned that shaped our medical treatment today.
- Physical fitness – You never know the depth you will be tested
- Leading from the DECISIVE POINT
- Always be ready
- Humility – You are probably not the subject matter expert
- Composure – Be as calm as possible, don’t let fear control you
- Be a credible combat leader
If you want to learn more about this operation, I suggest you start with this article about the Medal of Honor Citations for Shugart and Gordon.
Because the feelings have not been tempered by time, and there is a literal war currently being fought over it, our next anniversary is a bit more raw in its emotion and magnitude. October 7, 2024, marked the 1-year anniversary of the terror attack in Israel. Hard to believe that it has been a year already. It was my intention to write this article on the 7th but I just couldn’t get it done. In many ways though, I think this is better because we were able to see what is going on in the streets of America and frankly the rest of the world. I cannot understand how people can ‘protest’ in support of a people or organization that has committed such horrible and unimaginable atrocities. In my opinion, if it looks like a celebration, it is and the people that are walking the streets in support of Hamas or Hezbollah on October 7, are walking the streets in support of terror. So, for moral clarity, first, we go to Konstantin Kisin:
Having listened to the arguments of both sides over the last year, I’m no longer on the fence about Israel’s war. Here is why: pic.twitter.com/a3htcoMkcH
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) October 7, 2024
And if that is not enough clarity on this issue, how about our next podcast, Honestly with Bari Weiss and her interview with Douglas Murray. Below is a long quote from the show description. Normally, I would not include such a long quote but I think it is important so the context is not lost:
When we planned the conversation you’re going to hear today—a live conversation with Douglas Murray—we thought it would be a searching conversation that we’d release on the anniversary of October 7th, looking back at a year of war from a slightly quieter moment. You’ll hear some of that today. But the moment is anything but quiet.
As we prepared yesterday afternoon for this conversation, the war that Iran has outsourced to its proxies for the last year finally became a war being waged by Iran itself, as it launched over 100 ballistic missiles towards Israel. Israel’s 9 million citizens huddled into bomb shelters, while missiles rained down on their homes, with a handful making direct impact. As of this recording, two people were injured, and one person was killed—that person was a Palestinian man in Jericho. Just before that onslaught, at least two terrorists opened fire at a train station in Jaffa, Israel, killing at least six people and injuring at least seven others.
For many people, this war has been all we can think about since October 7th. But I fear that for many Americans, it still feels like a faraway war. But it isn’t. This is also a battle for the free world. As my friend Sam Harris put it in the weeks after October 7th: “There are not many bright lines that divide good and evil in our world, but this is one of them.” It is a war between Israel and Iran, but it is also a war between civilization and barbarism. This was true a year ago, and it’s even more true today. Yet this testing moment has been met with alarming moral confusion.
To choose just a few examples from the last week: at the UN, 12 countries—including the U.S.—presented a plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon without mentioning the word Hezbollah. Rashida Tlaib tweeted “our country is funding this bloodbath” minutes after Israel assassinated the leader of the most fearsome terrorist army on the planet, Hassan Nasrallah, who The New York Times described as “beloved,” a “towering figure,” and a “powerful orator.” It read like a letter of recommendation. At Barnard, students chanted for an intifada moments after the Jewish community memorialized six civilian hostages murdered by Hamas. At Yale, students chanted, “From Gaza to Beirut, all our martyrs we salute.” In Ottawa, protestors shouted, “Oh Zionists, where are you?” and targeted a Jewish residential street filled with schools and senior living homes, simply because the street is filled with Jewish homes and institutions. During the UN General Assembly, U.S. taxpayer dollars provided personal security for Iranian leaders, so that they could walk the streets of New York and speak before the UN—the same Iranian leaders who are plotting to kill senior American leaders.
No one understands the moral urgency of this moment better than my friend and guest today, Douglas Murray.
Douglas Murray isn’t Jewish. He has no Israeli family members. And yet it is Douglas Murray who understands the stakes of this war and the moral clarity that it requires.
Douglas’s work as a reporter has taken him to Iraq, North Korea, northern Nigeria, Ukraine, and most recently, to Israel. Douglas remained in Israel for months as he reported back with clarity, truth, and conviction. Douglas is the best-selling author of seven books, and is a regular contributor at the New York Post, the National Review, and here at The Free Press, where he writes our beloved Sunday column: “Things Worth Remembering.”
There is no one better to talk to in this moment, as we watch in real time as the Middle East—and the world as we know it—transforms before our eyes.
Again, you should listen to the entire episode but I wanted to leave you with and end this post with something rather unexpected, hope. Specifically, hope in the next generation with some almost quotes from Douglas Murry at the end of the episode:
–Each generation asks themselves, if a time of trial came, would we be up to it? And this generation of Israelis has answered that with a resounding yes. He further contends that this generation of Israelis has demonstrated:
-There is a better way than nihilism and hatred, something else than a culture of resentment, failure, and grievance.
-There is gratitude instead of resentment, pride instead of envy. Pride in something you should be proud of like your country and your civilization.
-The triumph of possibility over probability. The survival of the Jewish people mean the survival of hope.