William F . Garrison William F . Garrison is a retired Major General of the United States Army who was the commander of Operation Gothic Serpent , the military operation launched in 1993 to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid . Garrison was portrayed by Sam Shepard in the film " Black Hawk Down " , which was based on the events of the Battle of Mogadishu . Background . William F . Garrison enlisted in the Army in July 1966 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation from Officer Candidate School the following year . He served two tours in Vietnam , earning a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat . While in Vietnam , he participated in the Phoenix Program . Phoenix was an initiative of the C . I . A . and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to capture , convert or assassinate leaders within the Viet Cong guerrilla command structure . After the war Garrison spent most of his career in special operations units , including the U . S . Army Intelligence Support Activity as the commander of its operations squadron and the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta ( also known as Delta Force ) from 1985 to 1989 . His last command was the John F . Kennedy Special Warfare Center . He is known for being the commander in charge of Task Force Ranger during Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia . Garrison retired from the Army at the rank of Major General on 3 August 1996 , the day after Mohammed Farrah Aidid died . Throughout his career , as he was promoted to Colonel , Brigadier General and Major General , Garrison was the youngest officer to hold those ranks . Garrison is also said to have been in charge of the assistance force guiding the takedown of Pablo Escobar . Garrison took full responsibility for the tactical setbacks experienced in Operation Gothic Serpent . This effectively ended his career . Mark Bowden , the author of " Black Hawk Down : A Story of Modern War " , described Garrison as a military ascetic . According to Bowden ' s description Garrison tirelessly worked to serve his country and would do anything for his soldiers . Some of Garrison ' s subordinates have also spoken publicly about their former commander . Staff Sergeant Dan Schilling , an Air Force Combat Controller who took part in Operation Gothic Serpent shared his feelings about Garrison in the book " The Battle of Mogadishu : Firsthand Accounts From The Men of Task Force Ranger " . On page 187 of the text Schilling stated " I should pause here for a moment to say a few words about General Garrison . Many know his record and command history . I ' m not the person to expound on his exploits ; in fact I don ' t know the man very well . But I will say he is the finest general officer I have ever worked for and probably ever will . He understood his men and how we thought , what we wanted and needed , and understood the situation anywhere he was , immediately and completely . He is the finest leader an operator could ask for . It wasn ' t a shame that his career was derailed after our deployment ; it was a criminal act committed by political cowards . " Garrison earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Pan American University and graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University .