He survived Black Hawk Down and was played by a Hollywood A-lister. 30 years on, he reveals how life has changed

UK Daily Mail ^ | 04/24/2025 | SHEILA FLYNN

[DFG]

Just months before the eighth anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu and the release of the soon-to-be-classic feature film immortalizing it, survivor and war hero Norm Hooten retired from the Army as a master sergeant.

It was August 2001, and his wife Bonnie, a pharmacist, ‘was not down for another 10 years in the Army,’ Hooten said in a podcast interview earlier this month.

‘It had a lot to do with my family,’ Hooten told Ryan Manion on The Resilient Life. ‘I had young kids at the time, and … a lot of times, what the families go through is as difficult or more so than what the actual soldiers on the ground go through – and it really, really scared her to death … she said something to me one time that really resonated with me. It was really kind of a driving factor in me leaving the army.

‘She said, “You know, when we first started together here in the unit … when we would go to team parties … it was fun."'

They’d all been young couples with young families, she recalled, ‘living as normal a life as we could.’

‘But now when I go,’ she told Hooten, ‘ I’m one of the few people out of our group that isn’t a widow, and I’m just not ready to continue doing that. I don’t want the kids to do it.’

So he enrolled in pharmacy school, intending to join his wife’s industry – only for the 9/11 attacks to strike America one month letter.

Hooten was recalled back to the Army, rejoining its ranks as Eric Bana played a character based on – and named for – him on movie screens across the world.

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TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS:

[desertsolitaire]

Missed the film; did he survive the shootdown and lengthy crossfire and was eventually, slowly, rescued?

[Alas Babylon!]

Well, if they’re quoting him today, I suspect he survived the fight from 1993!

[spankalib]

He sends one son to West Point, and the other to Annapolis? Wow.

[rlmorel]

Excellent movie. I think of it often. Just the other day...

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In the Minuteman Museum, they have a wall with a map of the entire Boston-Concord area, and it has colored lights that light up to show the various parties on that day, the red lights showing the British coming out of Boston, and as they advanced past Lexington and the first shots on the Lexington Common, columns of white lights from every surrounding town began converging on the British column as it began its retreat from Concord.

There is a moving timeline at the bottom showing the time of day.

Eventually, as I watched, it made me think of the American troops in Somalia trying to fight their way out of the heart of the city. Armed people streaming from every point of the compass (as described in the book “Blackhawk Down”)

[rlmorel]

Yes. Presented admirably too, by Eric Bana in the movie. Very complimentary. In reading this story, seems like a spot-on portrayal.

He came across as the epitome of what we would all want to see with respect to practicality, common sense, unselfishness, compassion, and fierce combat capability in any military person we meet.

That was my impression. I have to go back and watch that movie again...

[No name given]

He survived the shootout and helped rescue his fellow army rangers.

[Thank You Rush]

“”I’m one of the few people out of our group that isn’t a widow, and I’m just not ready to continue doing that””

What an odd statement - didn’t want to continue NOT being a widow?

[Thank You Rush]

Michael Durant was the Black Hawk pilot who was shot down and captured....he wrote a book “In the Company of Heroes” - a very good book I recommend.

[faucetman]

Eric Bana did a bang up job in the film. My favorite character in the movie. If Bana portrayed him accurately, he was a real hero.

[Iceclimber58]

My younger sisters husband fought in the battle. He was 75th. Ranger.
He was one of the soldiers featured in Fox Nations Battalion of Brothers: Battle of Mogadishu.

[rlmorel]

That sure did look like Hell on wheels to me. God bless that man.

[Jamestown1630]

I think she just meant that she didn’t want to constantly be caused to think of the danger.

[desertsolitaire]

Thanks
I couldn’t recall from then and haven’t read the book. I didn’t know if the chopper pilot crew were relieved rescued from their position in the wreckage or were captured and the survivors later rescued?

[ansel12]

Two Delta men pushed and pushed to be landed to fight for the crew.

Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army
“Master Sergeant Gordon’s sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper 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 his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, 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. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately 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. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew’s weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, “good luck.” Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot’s life.”

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Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army
“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.”

[desertsolitaire]

Thank you for that.

[desertsolitaire]

Frustrating that we apparently undertook a mission there without sufficient resources to back up those soldiers when things went South on them.

[ansel12]

Not only were they Delta snipers seeing the big picture scene from their shooting helicopters, they were old soldiers and Delta experts so they knew what they were asking for when they insisted on joining the grounded crew on the ground, they went in with eyes fully open, they were truly special men.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

What an odd statement - didn’t want to continue NOT being a widow?

No, she wasn't ready to keep going to parties where she'd realize she was one of the few that wasn't a widow.

[SaveFerris]

🔝🔝