Being ready for eternity, not just the enemy — that was the theme of Jeff Struecker’s initial speech given at the Crossroads Men’s Conference at Crossroads Community Church on Saturday.
Struecker, whose experience in the Battle of Mogadishu was portrayed in the 2001 film “Black Hawk Down,” reflected on his 22 years of experience of active federal service, as well as his inspiration for becoming an army chaplain. Currently, Struecker is a pastor in Columbus, Georgia. He holds a doctorate and teaches at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
As the men gathered to hear Struecker’s story and sermon, they also had the opportunity to witness both the helicopter and truck used in the film as they sat on the outside lot of the church. Provided by Sony Pictures, the helicopter was a non-functioning prop replicated for the film.
Born in Iowa, and joking with the audience that no one has ever heard of that state, Struecker and his mother moved 22 times before he turned 18.
At first, Struecker didn’t ever consider the military, but his friend Tony enlisted and encouraged him to join because “it would be cool.”
Choosing to inquire more about the profession, Struecker asked a recruiter what the toughest job in the Army was, and while the recruiters debated between the Green Beret or Army Rangers, a recruiter handed Struecker a documentary on Ranger training to provide transparency on its grueling nature.
Within 5 minutes of watching it, Struecker was hooked.
The main reason that Struecker wanted to join the Rangers was because he “wanted to get shot at, and [he] wanted to know if [he’s] really ready to die,” he said to the audience.
According to Struecker, he grew up in a home that was atheist, and had an all-consuming fear of death as a kid.
Struecker was introduced to faith at the age of 13 by his neighbors in his apartment complex in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, where they randomly explained to him concepts in the Bible, without realizing his own internal conflicts. That night, after feeling inspired by what his neighbors had shared, Struecker prayed, and woke up feeling completely different.
And then he moved, yet again.
Slowly getting over his paralyzing fear as the years went on, Struecker was ready to put his fear to the test. Of course, he did so by joining the unit where one has the highest possibility of getting shot at, according to Struecker.
In the earlier years of his career, the United States was getting ready to invade the Republic of Panama in 1989, and Struecker was paged to leave right before Christmas. There, he and his comrades were on a mission to capture the unelected military dictator, Manuel Noriega.
After seeing other rangers being shot at, some of whom were 19 or 20 years old, and dying while being mid-air in their parachutes, Struecker realized that he was taking life for granted, and received a wake-up call.
“Most of us tend to live like we’re going to be around for the next 100 years. The truth is, there are no promises in life,” Struecker said.
Knowing that he needed to marry his high school sweetheart, Dawn, he came back from Panama and bought an engagement ring, with plans to wed the following year.
After being called at the last minute into Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm the following year, and realizing he wouldn’t make it to his own planned wedding, Dawn insisted that they get married before he left.
Reflecting on his wife’s patriotism, Struecker remembered that Dawn said to him: “If you get shot, I want the flag.”
By the time Struecker left for Somalia in 1993, he was confident in his ability to lead 10 men after his previous experiences.
“This is not my first rodeo,” Struecker said. “I’ve been around blood, I’ve been around body bags, I’ve been around killing before I got to Somalia. But I have never seen killing on a scale that we saw in Somalia. Not even close.”
At the time, there was a drought in East Africa, leading to a famine and eventually starvation, marking Somalia as the epicenter. According to Struecker, the country a lawless place with no military or government regulation — and plenty of armed men.
The gangs first targeted food distribution through the United Nations. In June 1993, two dozen U.N. workers were murdered.
This prompted the U.S. to send reinforcements. Struecker assumed the operation would take six weeks. However, 12 weeks into the mission, they still had not captured their No. 1 target, clan leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
Struecker reflected on the sheer chaos in Mogadishu at the time, aware that the U.S. troops were outnumbered by gangs.
“This is broad daylight. This is the center of town that has the most guns and is controlled by the bad guys. And when we roll in there, we’re going in completely outnumbered and totally surrounded by [the] enemy. And everyone knew that ahead of time,” Struecker said.
Acknowledging that the film displayed accurate moments in the battle, he also acknowledged the inevitable: nothing ever goes to plan.
“When the Black Hawks are flying in and the Rangers are coming down the ropes … one of those rangers named Todd Blackburn missed the fast rope and fell about 70 feet, and landed in the city streets head first.”
It was Struecker’s responsibility to take Blackburn to the surgeon. Taking his men in three separate Humvees, they were ambushed when they took a turn on a main road. Sgt. Dominick Pilla, who was in Struecker’s Humvee, was instantly killed after being struck in the head.
Struecker could not believe that he, and the other men, survived after the Humvees were riddled with bullets, thinking to himself, “God, how did we survive that?”
Little did he know that, simultaneously, the first Black Hawk went down. Then he heard the news that the second one did, as well.
Making it back to the base meant cleaning the Humvee where Pilla was shot, only 12 inches behind him, and making a decision on whether he should take the risk of going back out there, given that Dawn was back home expecting their first child.
Every fiber of Struecker’s being told him not to go back out, calling it a “suicide mission,” but he persevered and referred to the Ranger Creed, knowing he couldn’t fail his comrade.
“Real courage is not possible without real fear. You have to face your fear in order for it to be real courage. And I am freaking out, afraid right now,” Struecker said.
Reaching out to God, he knew he was scared, in trouble and needed his help. Struecker then came to the realization:
“Either I go home to my family in Georgia, or I go home to my father in Heaven. One of these two scenarios is going to happen tonight, and whatever happens next, I cannot lose, so it doesn’t matter. Bring on whatever the enemy throws my way.”
