First Division Museum hosts panel with Task Force Ranger vets on 'Black Hawk Down 30 Years Later'

On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park in Wheaton resumes its acclaimed Date with History series with "Black Hawk Down 30 Years Later"

A panel of Task Force Ranger veterans will share their experiences and lessons learned during a raid in Somalia that inspired the war film "Black Hawk Down."

Their heroic actions 30 years ago foreshadowed later military operations by the United States and its Special Operations forces.

The free program will be presented at 7 p.m. in Le Jardin, 1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton, and online. Registration for both in-person and Zoom viewers is required at FDMuseum.org. For those attending in person, parking is free.

In response to increasing and deadly attacks on American and United Nations operations in the African country of Somalia, a Joint Special Operations Task Force began a mission to capture General Muhammed Farah Aideed and his key associates, clearing the way to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for the Somali people.

Task Force Ranger, commanded by Major General William F. Garrison, was comprised of special operations ground forces, special operations helicopters, U.S. Air Force Special Tactics personnel, and U.S. Navy SEALS. It arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Aug. 29, 1993.

Retired Illinois National Guard Col. Nick Johnson will moderate a mixed panel of in-person and virtual presenters: retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Lechner (presenting via Zoom); retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major Sean Watson (presenting via Zoom); former U.S. Army Ranger Raleigh Cash (presenting via Zoom); and former U.S. Army Ranger Michael Goodale (presenting in person).

The First Division Museum is open daily, except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free with Cantigny Park's regular entrance fee. Visit FDMuseum.org for more details.

The First Division Museum, part of the Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundation and located at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, promotes public learning about America's military heritage and affairs through the history of the "Big Red One" - the famed 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.

The museum's main exhibit hall, First in War, transports visitors to the trenches of World War I, the beaches of World War II, and the jungles of Vietnam.

A second exhibit hall, Duty First, explores the 1ID's history in more recent times. The Robert R. McCormick Research Center, open to the public, houses the museum's library, archival and photo collections. Tanks from every era are outside the museum, along with artillery pieces and a personnel carrier.

Memorial markers and commemorative statuary pay further tribute to those who served and sacrificed. For more information, visit FDMuseum.org.