Operation Restore Hope
Mogadishu, Somalia
1992-1993
The following is an
excerpt regarding the importance of Military Police
support, from a report on Operation
Restore Hope, conducted by the
Federation of American Scientists - Military Analysis Network.
"Throughout Operation Restore Hope, MP units were in great demand because
of their ability to serve as a force multiplier. Marine force (MARFOR) and Army
force (ARFOR) commanders quickly took advantage of the MP's significant
firepower, mobility, and communications and used them effectively as a force
multiplier conducting security-related missions as one of their combat forces.
Doctrinal missions included security of main supply routes (MSRs), military and
NGO convoys, critical facilities, and very important persons (VIPs); customs;
detention of local civilians suspected of felony crimes against US force or
Somali citizens; and criminal investigative division (CID) support as the Joint
Task Force's (JTF) executive agency for joint investigations. MPs responded to a
significant number of hostile acts taken against US forces, NGOs, and civilians
by armed bandits and "technicals" and to factional fighting that
threatened US forces or relief efforts. They also supported the JTF weapons
confiscation policy by conducting recons and gathering information and
intelligence (human intelligence [HUMINT]) about the size, location, and
capabilities of factions operating throughout the ARFOR and MARFOR areas of
operation (AO). This information included the location of sizeable weapons
caches. MPs also had an expanded role in the actual confiscation of weapons by
establishing checkpoints and roadblocks along MSRs, within small villages, and
within the congested, confined urban environment of Mogadishu. Serving in both a
combat and combat support role, MPs also participated in a larger, combined arms
show-of-force operation (air assault) in the city of Afgooye."
US Forces were deployed to the war ravaged nation of Somalia, on the Horn of Africa, in December 1992 by the outgoing President George Bush. Thus began the ill-fated Operation Restore Hope; a peacekeeping operation turned "peace enforcement." Once welcomed with open arms, US soldier soon became the target of vicious attacks, one of the first resulting in the death of four US Army military police by a command-detonated land mine on August 8th, 1993. This ambush, coupled with an ambush on June 5th, 1993 that killed twenty-four Pakistani soldiers, led to the escalation in violence by the UN, spearheaded by the United States, against the rogue Somalia Warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid.
In response to the June 5th attack, and a UN Security Council resolution calling for the arrest and trial of those responsible for the ambush, President Clinton approved three days of aerial bombardments of Aidid's compound in Mogadishu. A subsequent ambush on August 22nd, similar to the August 8th incident, wounded six American soldiers. Clinton immediately approved the deployment of Task Force Ranger, comprised of a battalion from the 75th Ranger Regiment, helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), and the elite "Delta" Force. This set the stage for the infamous October 3rd battle, known by the Somalis as the "Day of the Rangers."
For a description of the
October 3rd battle, read 'Black
Hawk Down' by Mark Bowden
An excerpt from Michael
Rovedo's US
Army Military Police
History Homepage
A second trail vehicle, with five MP, assists the mortally wounded driver and secure the scene. Eight other MP teams quickly arrive and assist until a QRF from the 10th Mountain Division arrives.
Killed in the explosion are the driver and three other MP's:
Richerson, whose unit was one day away from rotating out of Somalia, was providing an orientation reconnaissance patrol for his replacements when he was killed. He was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant.
300th Military Police Company
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
My name is Michael A. Baker. I served in the US Army from 1989 to 1997. I had the opportunity to go to Mogadishu, Somalia with the 300th MP Company during Operation Restore Hope, from April to August 1993.
On July 19th, 1993, me and my team, SGT Ed Owens, driver, and SPC Brian Robinson, gunner were with SGT Mike Jinks' team on patrol. We were to do an MSR (Main Supply Route) recon to see if we would take any fire. Well things were going ok until we reached a point where no one was left on the street. At that moment we took some light small arms fire from the right flank, so we returned fire and killed a couple dozen Somalies.
When we returned to base and reported that the MSR was indeed hot, the UN Sergeant Major ordered us to go back out. A food convoy was stuck on the outskirts of the MSR and needed an MP escort, because they feared they would be robbed of the food. Well, this time we loaded up with a lot of ammo, we got some extra 40mm grenades for the M203s and 300 extra rounds for each M-60 machine gun. This time we went out with four military police teams (four vehicles, typically twelve MPs, three per vehicle).
When we reached the point where we took fire the first time, the Somalies had placed telephone poles across the street, preventing us from driving straight through. That's when all hell broke loose. My vehicle was third in line and took six rounds from a .50 Caliber weapon smack dab in the middle of the windshield, right where my face was at. No rounds came through, however, but a shit load of glass was imbedded in my face. After that there was a large space between my vehicle and the one in front of me. We took rounds from all sides and even from the roof tops. Then I saw two Somalies run out in front of my vehicle with RPGs ( Rocket propelled grenades) and prepare to shoot the vehicle in front of me. All I could was step on the gas and I ran them over. The RPGs exploded and the Somalies were killed, but me and my gunner were hit with shrapnel.
My gunner lost his pinky finger on his left hand and I had shrapnel in my face and neck. After that, my gunner, SPC Robinson, fell from the turret and dropped into my lap (He later told me he did that because he thought I was killed by the explosion). Robinson started to drive the vehicle with me. While he and I were both driving, I let go of the wheel and picked his pieces of his finger off of my face. I told him to place his left hand under his right arm to stop the bleeding. Then I told him to get the hell off my lap and get back up behind the M60 and shoot anything that moves. As soon as he moved his hand to leave, a bullet caught me in the right arm and severed the vain in my arm. Blood was squirting like a water fountain. At the same time, bullets were coming through the driver's door of the hummer. I took one in the left leg and lower stomach. From what I remember, we just left the kill zone after that. SGT Jinks pulled me out of my bullet-ridden vehicle and threw me in his. Me and "Rob" both were evacuated back to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) and were patched up.
Just for the record, that was one screwed up mission. Most of the guys that were in the 300th have left the Army, Rob is now a Staff Sergeant stationed in Germany and is still serving proud. Later, after me and Rob were flown home, a good friend of mine (SSG Richerson) was killed when he was showing the MPs from the 977th MP Company the "lay of the land." Their vehicle ran over a land mine killing all four on board.
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705th MP Company ~
Homestead, Florida |