Military community remembers Battle of Mogadishu with 15th Annual 5k

COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — Nearly every member of the Third Ranger Battalion was present in full body armor at Woodruff Riverfront Park.

They were there to honor the service and sacrifice of the soldiers lost in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia with the 15th Annual Mogadishu Mile 5k Run, a collaboration between Big Dog Running and the Third Ranger Battalion.

“Most people don’t understand freedom’s cost,” said John Burns, a former U.S. Army Ranger. “This event every year reminds me of what it costs us to live the life we have in America.”

In 1993, Burns was in Somalia serving as weapons squad leader of the Bravo Company with the Third Platoon in the Third Ranger Battalion under the 75th Ranger Regiment.

At 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 3, he was in a field hospital recovering from surgery; his brothers in arms were under fire as they attempted to retrieve the bodies of downed Blackhawk pilots.

During the Battle of Mogadishu, 17 U.S. Army soldiers were killed and 73 injured. It was the deadliest battle since the Vietnam War and its events are recounted in the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down.”

Roughly 1,400 runners took part in the Mogadishu Mile 5k in remembrance of their heroism. They ran in multiple categories, including full body armor, with strollers and with dogs.

“We really strive to live up to the legacy and really just [celebrate] their honor, giving us something to look up to,” said Third Ranger Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Jake Carlisle.

For Carlisle, the run was more than just a battalion affair but a family one. He ran alongside his wife, son and daughter.

With other military families, law enforcement agencies and community members taking part, Carlisle highlighted the local support.

“It’s a great event. It’s the biggest one we’ve had in 15 years and the Columbus community has been great to the Third Battalion and the Ranger Regiment,” Carlisle said. “We’re just real proud to be here.”

Mary Kubik sang the national anthem ahead of the run. In 2010, her brother, Sgt. Ronald Kubik an Army Ranger, lost his life in Afghanistan serving his country.

“My brother had been part of the Third Ranger Battalion and stationed here,” Kubik explained. She added, “[I] really wanted to be able to make an impact on the unit that he loved so much and was willing to give his life for and it’s really saved mine.”

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