Former Army Ranger James Lechner has described the serious leg injury he suffered during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia in October 1993. In an interview with Shawn Ryan, Lechner said he was hit by an AK-47 round below the knee during the fighting.
Lechner said the bullet damaged his tibia and traveled down his leg before exiting above his ankle. He described extensive damage to the left side of the leg and a large wound on its front. The account was presented as a personal recollection of the battle and his injuries.
He said a Delta Force medic came through continuing gunfire, pulled him by his vest and brought him inside a fortified building. The building was being used as a casualty collection point, according to Lechner. He recalled bleeding heavily after the wound struck two arteries and described blood pooling on the floor.
The Battle of Mogadishu began on Oct. 3, 1993, and extended into the following day. U.S. forces, including Army Rangers and Delta Force operators, had been sent on a mission to capture and extract targets. The operation changed dramatically after Somali fighters hit multiple helicopters, according to the source material.
Lechner served with the 75th Rangers during the battle. The source reports that 18 Americans were killed and dozens were wounded. It also notes that Delta Force snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions at the crash site of helicopter pilot Mike Durant.
The battle has been recounted in other accounts and was depicted in a film starring Josh Hartnett. Lechner’s interview adds his description of being wounded and evacuated under fire. His statements about the injury and conditions at the casualty collection point are attributed to him; the material does not independently verify those details.
