Jeff Struecker

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Jeff Struecker
Jeff Struecker (cropped).jpg
Struecker in 2009
Born (1969-03-07) March 7, 1969 (age 54)
Fort Dodge, Iowa, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1987–2011
Rank Major
Unit3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
Battles/wars Operation Just Cause
Gulf War
Operation Gothic Serpent
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Awards Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal (3)

Jeffery Dean Struecker (born March 7, 1969) [1] [2] is an American author, pastor, and former United States Army Ranger who was involved in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. [2] [3] [4] He also participated in the 1989 invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) [2] [3] and in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. [2] [3] Struecker has co-authored five published books. [5] Struecker was portrayed by Brian Van Holt in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down. In 2017, he was inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. [6]

Contents

Enlisted service

SPC Isaac Gmazel and SSG Jeff Struecker upon winning the 1996 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia. BRC1996 gmazel struecker.jpg
SPC Isaac Gmazel and SSG Jeff Struecker upon winning the 1996 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Enlisted in the United States Army in September 1987 [2] at the age of 18, Struecker served ten years in the 75th Ranger Regiment [7] in positions ranging from Ranger Reconnaissance specialist to platoon sergeant. He would go on to win the Best Ranger Competition in 1996 with partner SPC Isaac Gmazel. [4] [8]

Struecker was also recognized in 1998 with the United States Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. [9]

Battle of Mogadishu

In the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Struecker was a 24-year-old sergeant and squad leader assigned to Task Force Ranger as a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment. He led the 3-vehicle convoy that returned, through intense fire, wounded Ranger Private Todd Blackburn to base. Struecker was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in Mogadishu. [10]

In the film based on the battle, Black Hawk Down , Struecker is portrayed by Brian Van Holt. [11]

Commissioned service

After his enlisted service ended in April 2000, [2] Struecker went on to graduate from seminary and became commissioned as a chaplain. [3] [12] As chaplain, Struecker served multiple tours in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. [9] Struecker's final military assignment was chaplain with the Regimental Special Troops Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. [13] [14] Struecker retired from active military service at the end of January 2011. [13]

Awards and decorations

Post-military career

Immediately following his retirement from the military, Struecker joined the staff of Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia [9] [13] and became its lead pastor in April 2014 and resigned the position in May of 2019. [16] Struecker then founded 2 Cities Church in Columbus, Georgia, where he is currently the lead pastor. Struecker has also continued to author books [5] and he speaks regularly to audiences across the United States about his experiences and about his Christian faith. [17]

Return to Mogadishu

In March 2013 Struecker returned to Mogadishu with a film crew to shoot a short film Return to Mogadishu: Remembering Black Hawk Down which debuted in October 2013 on the 20th anniversary of the battle. Struecker and fellow veteran-turned-country singer Keni Thomas relived the battle as they drove through the Bakaara Market in armored vehicles and visited the Wolcott crash site.

Education and personal life

Struecker earned the Doctor of Philosophy from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a Master of Divinity Degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, [3] and a Bachelor of Science Degree and Associate of Science Degree from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama.

He is married to his wife Dawn and has five children. [3]

Published books

Related Research Articles

<i>Black Hawk Down</i> (film) 2001 war film by Ridley Scott

Black Hawk Down is a 2001 war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. It is based on the 1999 eponymous non-fiction by journalist Mark Bowden, about the crew of a Black Hawk helicopter that was being shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu. The film features a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Jason Isaacs, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Piven, Ioan Gruffudd, Ewen Bremner, Hugh Dancy, and Tom Hardy in his first film role. Orlando Bloom, Ty Burrell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also have minor roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mogadishu (1993)</span> UN-Somali military incident, October 1993

The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down Incident, was part of Operation Gothic Serpent. It was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—against the forces of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) and armed irregular citizens of south Mogadishu.

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References

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