Jeff Struecker | |
---|---|
Born | Fort Dodge, Iowa, U.S. | March 7, 1969
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1987–2011 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | 3d 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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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.
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]
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.
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.
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Association of Theological Schools, Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.
United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a "Ranger" unit; the vast majority of Ranger school graduates never serve in Ranger units and are considered "Ranger qualified".
The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Moore, Georgia and is composed of a regimental headquarters company, a military intelligence battalion, a special troops battalion, and three Ranger battalions.
Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted in Mogadishu, Somalia, by an American force code-named Task Force Ranger during the Somali Civil War in 1993. The primary objective of the operation was to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid, leader of the Somali National Alliance who was wanted by the UNOSOM II in response to his attacks against United Nations troops. The operation took place from August to October 1993 and was led by US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
John Gano was a Baptist minister, soldier, patriot, and Revolutionary War chaplain who allegedly baptized his friend, General George Washington. He was also notable for his bravery at the Battle of White Plains and crossing the Delaware River with General Washington. Gano later served as the first chaplain of the Kentucky Legislature in 1798. He was the founder of the Gano political family, which included several generations of politicians and military officers.
Palmer Theological Seminary is a Baptist seminary in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Its parent institution is Eastern University.
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions and evangelism are core focuses of the seminary.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It was created in 1950 to meet a need in the SBC's East Coast region. It was voted into existence on May 19, 1950, at the SBC annual meeting and began offering classes in the fall of 1951 on the original campus of Wake Forest University in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The undergraduate program is called The College at Southeastern. The current president is Daniel L. Akin.
The 3rd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Fort Moore, Georgia, is the third of three Ranger Battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
Kenneth Mervyn Thomas is an American country music singer and former United States Army Ranger. Thomas was deployed in support of Operation Restore Hope as a member of Task Force Ranger in Somalia, and served in the Battle of Mogadishu. Thomas works as a motivational speaker drawing from this experience as an Army Ranger.
The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Moore, Georgia that is dedicated to training infantrymen for service in the United States Army.
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The seminary has been an innovator in theological education, establishing one of the first Ph.D. programs in religion in the year 1892. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and moved to its current location in 1926 in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. In 1953, Southern became one of the few seminaries to offer a full, accredited degree course in church music. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with an FTE enrollment of over 3,300 students in 2015.
The United States Army Chaplain Corps (USACC) consists of ordained clergy of multiple faiths who are commissioned Army officers serving as military chaplains as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious church services, counseling, and moral support to the armed forces, whether in peacetime or at war.
Henry Vinton Plummer was an American Baptist preacher and chaplain with the United States Army Buffalo Soldiers. Born a slave on a plantation near Bowie, Maryland, he escaped slavery in his early 20s and enlisted in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. He served as a pastor at several churches before being appointed chaplain of the 9th Cavalry Regiment by President Chester A. Arthur in 1884. At that time, he was the only black officer in the US Army. In 1894 he was dishonorably discharged from the Army for drunkenness and poor conduct, but his discharge was upgraded to honorable after a review in 2005.
Danny R. McKnight is an American retired colonel who served in the United States Army. He is best known for his role as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in the Battle of Mogadishu. His participation in the battle was also heavily portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down, where his role was played by Tom Sizemore.