Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

The Black Hawk helicopters, small, flying fortresses, are formidable machines. One Somali recalls a time when the powerful updraft from the rotors was enough to lift a baby out of his mother’s arms. The Black Hawks have powerful weaponry and armor that is nearly impenetrable. They give the troops a sense of security.

When the first Black Hawk crashes, the men feel vulnerable. If one of the symbols of their strength and military might can be destroyed, then they can as well. When the second Black Hawk crashes, it amplifies the men’s fear. The Somalis do not have anything as technologically advanced as the Black Hawks, and yet, they are able to disable three of them with inaccurate, relatively primitive weapons such as the RPG launchers. The Black Hawks represent the American troop’s overconfidence in their military superiority. 

The Delta Force operators are the most skilled, lethal group of fighters on earth. Unsurprisingly, many of the young Rangers worship them, to the consternation of regulation-abiding men like Steele. Bowen writes of Steele, “For better or worse, the attitudes and practices of the elite commandos started to rub off on his Rangers when they began bunking together in the hangar” (173).