Mark Bowden, a writer for the Philadelphia Enquirer newspaper, has done something quite remarkable. He is the author of a thirty chapter, ongoing (thru the middle of Dec) on-line series covering the street battle in Mogadishu on Sunday, Oct. 3, 1993. Forces from Delta, Rangers, 10th Mountain, Navy Seals, and others, were all involved.

Why is this series remarkable? A couple of reasons. From a journalistic viewpoint, a new format is displayed, where the 'document' allows a combination of audio, video, text, images, questions-and-answers with the audience, maps, and animated 3D reconstructions of events. From a military history viewpoint, the accompanying question-and-answer' series, allows the participants to interact with the author, correct inaccuracies, and expand on missing information. This new information is immediately incorporated into the on-line series. Those who made history can now see that the 'real' story is accurate. The man with the rifle and muddy boots can truly have the last word.

You should visit this site. In its way, it will become as important a memorial to those who fought and died that day in Mogadishu, as The Wall is for those of us who fought in Vietnam. Plans now, are to leave the site up indefinitely. I suspect the site will continue to grow as more information becomes available. It will be cyberspace's version of The Wall. An interesting comparison! http://www3.phillynews.com/packages/somalia/

You may have to download some plugins for the audio/video, but the site is easily understood without them.