"More certainly could have been said in the movie about the way the Clinton Administration, including then-Defense Secretary Les Aspin, denied these brave men the tools -- Bradleys and AC-130 Spectre gunships -- they requested and needed for that mission. With those vital tools, the outcome undoubtedly would have been a lot different. But the movie has rekindled the debate over the way politicians left our troops to twist in the wind, and it's being voiced now on talk radio nationwide. More importantly, Black Hawk Down tells a compelling, true story about the heroism and sacrifice of our Rangers, Delta Force operators and 160th SOAR aviators."

Author Don Hirst is Executive Editor of SALUTE Magazine, a privately owned, nationally circulated publication distributed on military bases throughout the United States. A Vietnam veteran (two extended Army tours: 64-65, 67-68) who subsequently returned as a civilian correspondent (5-plus years there total), he's covered the military from the foxhole/cockpit level to the corridors of the Pentagon for almost 34 years. His numerous longstanding ties with the U.S. military include being an Honorary Life Member of the Special Forces Association and an Honorary Member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Excerpt from Black Hawk Down Movie Review

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