Jeff Struecker

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Jeff Struecker born in 1969 in Fort Dodge, Iowa is a U.S. Army Chaplain notable for his involvement in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. He also participated in the 1989 invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) and in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.

In the 1993 Mogadishu, Somalia incident Struecker was a 24 year old Sergeant and squad leader assigned to Task Force Ranger as a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Enlisted in the Army in September of 1987 at the age of 18, Struecker served ten years in the 75th Ranger Regiment in positions ranging from Ranger Reconnaissance Specialist to Platoon Sergeant.

Some of his awards include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, Pathfinder Badge, Master Parachutist's Wings, Military Freefall Master Parachutist Wings, British Parachutist Wings, Thai Parachutist Wings, German Parachutist Wings, and German Sports Efficiency Badge. Also recognized in 1998 with the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps ROTC Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

He would go on to win the Best Ranger competition in 1996 with his partner. [1] After his enlisted service, Streucker would go on to graduate from seminary and become commissioned as a Chaplain.

Today he speaks about his experiences and about his Christian faith. Struecker became a Christian at age 13 and stated that "[a]s a Christian, no matter what happens to me in this life, if I live or die, I am firmly in God's hands."

He is portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down by Brian Van Holt.

Struecker earned a Master of Divinity Degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Science Degree and Associate of Science Dgree from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama.

Married to his wife Dawn with five children: Aaron, 13, Jacob, 11, Joseph, 9, Abigail, 8, and Lydia, 5.

Portrayed on the cover of Homelife Magazine in March of 2007. [2]