After completing a Headliners & Legends on Stephen King for MSNBC, I had the amazing opportunity to work on a project people only dream about. The 92 minute History Channel special would chronicle the battle of Mogadishu, a deadly two-day assault involving American Special Forces in Somalia.
I vaguely remembered seeing the bloody events on television in 1993 and now I would be researching every book, every article and getting first hand accounts from Rangers and Delta Force soldiers who bravely fought during the two day stand off.
Dave Keane was spearheading the project. His passion for the subject was admirable. Our first task was to get Dave into Somalia. I recall doing some internet searches for travel and I quickly realized there were no working airports in Mogadishu - even in 1999. We would have to fly him to Kenya and then once there he would have arrange entry into the lawless country.
There was a high risk to Dave's safety and although we joked about kidnapping insurance, it was no laughing matter. Several journalists had been murdered in Mogadishu, but his desire to return to the scene of the events was truly a testament to his commitment to tell both sides of the story.
While Dave prepared for his trip to East Africa, I started trying to track down the soldiers involved in the bloody battle. Delta Force specialize in not being found so my usual tricks were proving futile. Eventually I got a lead on Lee Van Arsdale. He was in charge of the operations in Mogadishu and helped lead a rescue to extract some of the other soldiers taken captive and or who were trapped. Mr. Van Arsdale was one of the nicest men I had ever met and the smartest. He was committed to having the truth be told and eventually agreed to be interviewed. He then led us to other brave men who would eventually interview for the documentary.
When I pre-interviewed some of the men by phone, I was shocked to hear in their confessions that many had never really opened up about what they witnessed or experienced on those infamous days in October. I felt comfort in knowing that perhaps providing a safe place for them to tell their stories would somehow be cathartic.
Meanwhile, Dave and his team safely arrived in Kenya and then secured a spot on a plane carrying the narcotic called Khat into Mogadishu. His fixers paid for a small militia to accompany him and the cameraman. He literally had 4-5 young men carrying automatic machine guns traveling with him and as I recall, some may have been as young 14 years old.
Mogadishu was still ruled by various militias and gangs. Violence was a daily reality and Dave was truly risking his life to get the truth. He found men, women and soldiers who witnessed and fought against the American forces and got their first hand account of what had happened. He walked through corridors where rangers hid out and were dragged through the streets. He also shot hours of haunting footage - there would be no faking it in this amazing project.
I then starting tracking down archive footage. After getting clearance from the American military, I visited a base a couple hours outside of Los Angeles. I filled out pages of paperwork and then started going through the hours of footage. Cameras mounted on Black Hawks or other military planes had recorded some of the brutal images. So often in documentary, it's tough to get the actual footage due to cost, rights and clearances or it just didn't exist, but for this project we were lucky to have true first hand accounts. We debated what we would use. 18 American soldiers died and another 73 were injured. There were an estimated 500 - 2,000 deaths suffered by Somali men and women. Dave had no desire to exploit what had happened so we all tried to be as sensitive as possible given the events.
Dave arrived home safely, but had many stories to tell including a very close call in a soccer stadium with another militia. Over the next month Dave conducted the remaining interviews. One that particularly stood out was with Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Mike Durant. Durant was flying his MH-60A with three other soldiers on board when the helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade causing it to crash to the ground. Two Delta Force snipers bravely held off the ensuing Somalis, but were eventually killed when they ran out of ammunition. The three other Americans on board were also killed. The Somalis captured the badly injured Durant and held him for 11 days. He was eventually freed and continued to fly with the Special Operations Aviation Regiment. His story of bravery and heroism was truly inspiring.
The final documentary was a incredible investigation into the battle of Mogadishu. Dave's interviews with both sides gave the viewer an objective take on those two days. The art direction and recreations were visually stunning. In addition, the archive footage and photos made this special unlike anything I had ever been given the opportunity to work on. Projects like the True Story of Black Hawk Down don't come around every day, I feel very blessed to have been a part of it!
