Todd Blackburn

Todd Daniel Blackburn (born October 25, 1973) is a former U.S. Army Ranger deployed with B Company, 3rd Battalion, to Mogadishu, Somalia during Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993. He was wounded in action on October 3, 1993, aged 19, during an engagement that would later be known as the Battle of Mogadishu. He was wounded when he missed the rope while fast-roping from a helicopter and fell 70 feet.
Battle of Mogadishu
Early in the battle, Private First Class Blackburn fell a distance of 70-feet from a Black Hawk helicopter as he was attempting to fast-rope with the rest of his chalk. Blackburn suffered serious head and internal organ injuries in the fall, and was evacuated (CASEVAC'd) to the Task Force Ranger staging area.
Life after the Army
Blackburn spent two years in recovery and had no recollection of the fall that led to his injuries. After leaving the Army he became a police officer in his native hometown of Pensacola, Florida. He has five children.
Black Hawk Down portrayal
In the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, Todd Blackburn was played by Orlando Bloom in one of his first films. He appears as a motivated, young Ranger, and states his age (incorrectly) to be 18. The real Todd Blackburn was almost 20 during the events portrayed in the movie. The fictional Blackburn proudly announces that he is there to "kick some ass" to Specialist John Grimes. During the few first minutes of the Battle of Mogadishu, the UH60 Blackhawk he is fast-roping from pitches to avoid being struck by a rocket propelled grenade, causing him to lose his grip on the rope and plummet to the street.
In reality, it is not known why Blackburn lost his grip on the rope and is generally assumed that his inexperience led to his fall. However, Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann states that around the time when Blackburn fell, the UH-60 Blackhawk canted slightly, and Blackburn had to put his hand down to stay upright. The Ranger that roped in after Blackburn also swears that he had grabbed the rope. Additionally, the film incorrectly portrays Blackburn as a new arrival to Somalia, when in reality he had been in country for the same amount of time as the rest of his Company.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu