Page 1 of Black Hawk Down - Just too `American`!!!

Hi,... I just found out some interesting facts about the real event on Oct 3, 1993. What do U think about this movie after reading them????

"The following articles are taken from a respectable media source".

In the Hollywood action movie Black Hawk Down, there are only fleeting shots of Asians helping to rescue 75 US soldiers pinned down by militia fire in Mogadishu, Somalia.

And that is not good enough for Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Abdul Latif Ahmad. He wants the real story of what happened on Oct 3, 1993 told.

He was the commander of the Malaysian contingent which was part of the UN peacekeeping force in the tumultuous African state.

He saw 114 of his men go into battle with US forces on Oct 3, 1993 and emerged six hours later with one man killed, nine injured and four armed personnel carriers destroyed.

No such problems remembering the events of Oct 3, 1993 for Jen Abdul Latif and his men. An operation by the US forces to nab Somali warlord General Mohammed Farrah Aidid in his enclave failed. Compounding matters, two Black Hawk helicopters sent to pick up the US soldiers were shot down.

An order “to assist by all means available’’ was made by the UN command to Malaysian and Pakistani contingents. But it came after the US had made four unsuccessful attempts to rescue its trapped soldiers.

There was a further delay before the Malaysian team could move into action. The US wanted to go it alone but with the use of 32 Malaysian armed personnel carriers.

Jen Abdul Latif recalled that the US military was advised it could not learn how to operate the Belgian-made carriers in a short while.

Only after considerable discussions and delay did Malaysian troops and US Ranger teams move into action.

Eighteen US soldiers died and 70 were wounded. Private Mat Aznan Awang was the sole Malaysian casualty.

More satisfying was the praise the Malaysian soldiers received from the men with whom they had fought alongside.

Brig-Gen Greg Gile, commander of the US Ranger Force, wrote on Oct 14, 1993: “The battle that will live in history – your forces proved essential to accomplish the mission. The Rangers were saved, thanks to your soldiers.’’

The movie has chosen to gloss over a contribution that a lieutenant in the US army appreciated.

A few days after the rescue, Lt John Breen wrote to the Malaysian soldiers who fought alongside him. He said many Americans were able to go back to their families because of the help the Malaysian troops provided.

“I would fight alongside you anywhere, any place,’’ he said.

This item was edited on Thursday, 31st January 2002, 03:28

Americans are not intrested in non Americans,simple as that!

Remember when Americans held the Olyimpic Games and all the US TV coverage seemed to do was focus on the American athletes, can recall the BBC commantary team saying " When are they going to show us the winner" instead they concentrated on the Yanks who were placed no where, and the African guy that won got about 30 secs coverage!

Thats how deep it is entrenched in US culture.


Bear.

This item was edited on Thursday, 31st January 2002, 13:43

Oerigin - http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/1/24/nation/downer&sec=nation

Well of course American culture is obsessively dedicated to a broadly American perspective, the point surely is that the true story that `Black Hawk Down` doesn`t tell isn`t an American one at all. This film only exists, even at a stretch, to convince something already apparent to hermetically insulated Americans about the joys of isolationism. The joys of remaining physically contained from the backs they enjoy their lives from. This is a value-less, meaningless and entirely worthless film, I can`t stress this strongly enough BOYCOTT THIS NOW!

(is this clear yet?)

--Mike

Errr mike I think you`ve lost the plot.

From what I`ve read, and after seeing the film, the film makers were concentrating on the battle only. It is about the soldiers only. I would have liked it to go into more detail about the political background, but it shows the hell the soldiers go through, and how the government must be 100% sure of the objective, and must support the soldiers 100%, i.e. not pulling them out to make them feel as though they fought for nothing.
As Ridley Scott sais, the film is`pro-soldier`. It doesn`t contain any flagwaving, in fact it is critical of the military superiors for bad planning.

Your view is the kind of knee-jerk anti-american stance we could do without.

I hope I`m wrong here but I was told that they don`t teach geography in US schools,can`t see it myself but if it`s true then how sad!

Judging by the way our society is being bastardized by american culture, it`s a stance we could do with seeing more of.

What is your problem with the Unites States of America?

When the UK movie industry is strong enough to remake sh*t stories about how blowing up civilian dams won WWII, or when we`re holding the Olympics on our soil and showing unbiased footage (BTW, I`ve never seen such a pathetic response to winning 3 medals - I bet you`re all Curling fans and desperately buying tickets to the Alps now), come back to me.

In the meantime, I`ll stick with the country that has to put up with cr*p from the rest of the (extremely jealous) world. I bet you all cheered on Sept 11 too. Lets give these people a break, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Oh, didn`t Ridley Scott direct BHD? Funny, he`s not an American. Oh well, sort of blasts your childish ranting out of the water that doesn`t it.

I`ve got no problems with Americans - one of my closest friends and ex-housemate is a Yank. But you`ve got to admit that the American sterotype is quite amusing to us Brits. Like any sterotype *some* people in the country will conform to it - most won`t. Before Steve moved out here he was having a converstion with a bloke he`d met (he was around 16) and told him he was going to move to England with his parents. This guy says "Oh, England. So, what language do they speak out there then?"

Gotta laugh......

I wanna know what that "MINUTE DELAY" was all about during the skeliton in the Olympics......

I think Ridley Scott has to go along with the films original storyline.....

Have America ever won a war on their own?.....

Why has pres Bush choose our SAS over the Navy SEALS?...

When is the movie about september 11th coming out?...

God bless America!

This item was edited on Monday, 25th February 2002, 18:04