To those still serving, take heart. There are a few of us out here that still care. It succeeded in illuminating some recent history which, like so much of actual significance, was woefully underreported by the television media at the time. I wonder if this is the right question to ask. Thomas said it best, when he said that his comrades died in service to the idea of a sense of duty and to protect their buddies.
Missions go wrong and enemies are sometimes underestimated.
The quality of the operation itself in no way undermines the significance of the deaths of the young men who did their duty bravely. I was concerned that the Rangers, considering their status as an elite Army unit, seemed seriously emotionally underprepared for the realities of a firefight. It should be clear by now that all of our technology and wealth is unable to overcome desperate men willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause without some casualties. I believe the U.S. and the U.N. initally became involved in Somalia for good, humanitarian reasons. I do believe it is the responsibility of the U.S., as the strongest, richest country in the world, to defend human rights wherever possible, even if it means that in some extreme situations we will have to endure casualties.