SFC
Randall D. Shughart, U.S. Army
Rank and organization:
Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army.
Place and date:
3 October 1993,
Mogadishu, Somalia.
Entered service at: -----
Born: Newville,
Pennsylvania.
Citation: Sergeant
First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished
himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty
on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team
Member, United States Army Special Operations Command
with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant
First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires
from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building
and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected
to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled
grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive
fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class
Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces
were not immediately available to secure the site.
Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader
unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect
the four critically wounded personnel, despite being
well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel
closing in on the site. After their third request
to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and
his team leader received permission to perform this
volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires
at the site caused them to abort the first attempt,
Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader
were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash
site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol,
Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader,
while under intense small arms fire from the enemy,
fought their way through a dense maze of shanties
and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members.
Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and
the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing
a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper
in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class
Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to
kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling
the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant
First Class Shughart continued his protective fire
until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded.
His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First
Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion
to duty were in keeping with the highest standards
of military service and reflect great credit upon
him, his unit and the United States Army.
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