Matt Eversmann
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| Matt Eversmann | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1987 – present |
| Rank | Sergeant First Class |
| Unit | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Mogadishu |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4) |
Matthew Eversmann is a former US Army Ranger and was the leader of Chalk 4 during The Battle of Mogadishu. The October 3, 1993 mission was his first time leading a group in combat. In the movie Black Hawk Down his role was a main character played by Josh Hartnett. Contrary to the movie though, Eversmann was picked up by and fought with the "Lost Convoy," not the ground assault to the downed helicopters.
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[edit] Military career
Eversmann enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in December 1987 and was stationed at Fort Drum, New York with the 10th Mountain Division. In 1992 he reenlisted and arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia for his assignment in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He spent eight and a half years in the Regiment serving as a squad leader, a weapons squad leader, the Battalion Air Operations Sergeant, the Battalion Liaison Sergeant, and a Platoon Sergeant. Eversmann also was the Officer in Charge of the 75th Ranger Regiment's Pre Ranger Course that helped train soldiers to pass Army Ranger School.
While serving as a sergeant in the Ranger Regiment, Eversmann traveled the world. From Panama to England, Korea to Egypt, he met and trained with soldiers across the globe. In August of 1993 Eversmann and his company deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in support of Operation Gothic Serpent.
[edit] Military schools and awards
Eversmann has attended the many military schools: Airborne, Ranger, SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School, Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, as well as the Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course. He was the Leadership Award winner at Ranger School, the Primary Course, and the Basic Course. He also graduated from the Master Fitness School, Jumpmaster School, Special Operations Tactics course, and the Equal Opportunity Course. Eversmann wears the following awards and decorations: the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Ribbon, 8 Army Achievement Medals, 4 Army Commendation Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Ranger Tab, Master Parachute Wings, Royal Thai Jump Wings, British Jump Wings, Egyptian Jump Wings, and the Expert Infantryman's Badge. For his service in Somalia he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
[edit] Later military career
In August 2000, Eversmann, a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity was awarded an honorary bachelors degree from Hampden-Sydney College, in recognition for his service to his country.
Eversmann has lectured on his experience in Somalia all over the world. He has given presentations to soldiers at all levels, from Officer Candidates at Fort Benning to Colonels at the Army War College. He has represented the Army on Larry King Live and on Dateline with Stone Phillips, and has lectured the cadets and faculty at West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy. Eversmann's list of presentations to the professional community includes companies like Ford, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs, Merck, RAND, the Bakersfield Business Conference, USA Today and The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Voices 2004. Eversmann has been to many colleges across America too; from Penn State to Notre Dame, Virginia Tech to Ball State, he makes lasting impressions on every campus he visits.
Eversmann was a Senior Instructor at the Johns Hopkins University ROTC Department and is co-author of a recently published book The Battle of Mogadishu.
Recently Eversmann has been deployed to Iraq and is serving in Baghdad.
[edit] Quotes
"I think everybody probably went through the whole spectrum of emotions that day, certainly being under fire that intense, is pretty frightening. You know, the hallmark of our Ranger training kind of lets our instinctive actions take over. Yes, it certainly was frightening, but, you know, everybody was pulling their weight and everybody reacted accordingly."
"This movie, as everybody who's read the book and seen the movie knows -- it's not a documentary, and it's not a biography, either...I think anyone that knows me personally and knows me well might see that there's quite a bit of difference between that fictional Sergeant Eversmann and my personal belief."
"It's certainly flattering for me to have been chosen. Although in fairness, I'll tell you, there are probably 100 other men that were on the ground that day that did far more than I ever did that really should have been cast as the model for the lead character."
