“What’s the toughest job in the Army?”
As an 18-year-old high school graduate Jeff Struecker had no plans for his future. He just knew college was not an option. A friend of his convinced him to speak to an Army recruiter. During the enlistment process, Jeff asked, “What’s the toughest job in the Army?” After explaining the type of people Army Rangers were, the recruiter said, “Listen kid, you have no idea what you’re asking for and before you go any father down this road, I want you to make sure you know what you’re about to get into.”
The reason Jeff wanted to join the Army Rangers was sobering. He wanted to go to combat and wanted to get shot at. You see, Jeff did not come from a church home and he had an overwhelming fear of dying. This fear, which lasted for years, came from confusion over what happens the moment after you die.
He would ask his parents and they would say, “Jeff, after you die, you go to heaven. Everybody sits on clouds and plays a harp and everybody gets into heaven.” Jeff would think about those answers and it left him empty and scared. He knew there was an eternity out there and he didn’t know what to expect. This fear which would often awake him during the middle of the night lasted for years.
A Young Couple Moves In Across The Hall
At 13-years-old, a young couple in their 20’s moved in just across the hall in his apartment complex. They became friends and after a few months shared the Gospel with him. They explained to him who Jesus was. They talked about sin and what Jesus did on the cross. They said, “If you turn your life over to Jesus, he will radically change your life… He will give you eternal life and you will never have to worry about what happens when you die.” That night, Jeff prayed to Jesus to change his life and remove his fear of dying. And Jesus did.
Back to the question of what was the toughest job in the Army. Jeff signed up for the Rangers because he knew he would be shot at and wanted to truly know if he was ready to die.
Mogadishu, Somalia
Fast foward to 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant Struecker is a now part of the 75th Ranger Regiment and squad leader with ten men he is responsible for. He is an experienced combatant but the level of conflict was nothing like he has seen before or since.
Special forces almost exclusively operate at night because they have a massive technological advantage. However, on Sunday October 3, 1993, two high-profile targets were discovered to simultaneously be located in the same building. Though not optimum, the time to move was during daylight. When the building would be secure, Sergeant Struecker’s team would drive up in humvees and extract everyone lowered from the Blackhawk helicopters and bring them safely back to base. But nothing ever goes according to plan.
Private First Class Todd Blackburn missed a rope and feel 70 feet to the streets below. Struecker’s team had to then fight their way to him, load his stretcher on a middle vehicle, and then the unit’s three vehicles would need to fight their way out and back to base. As they turned down one road, they were being assaulted by rocket grenades, hand grenades, and gunfire from every doorway and every window. It was the worst assault Sergeant Struecker would ever experience in his military career. Getting back to the base was no longer the unit’s top concern. It was simply getting to the next block was.
Blackhawk Down
When they finally returned to the base, Sergeant Struecker was advised a second blackhawk had been shot down. The first Search and Rescue Force was already in the city streets. Regardless of what they had just been through, Sergeant Struecker would have to go back out. He then sent out a request for anyone who could help. The response was overwhelming.
Cooks, intel analysts, supply clerks, ammunition personnel all said they had guns and were ready to go. However, one of his men said, “Hey Sergeant, I can’t go back out into those city streets tonight. I know if I get on those humvees with you, I’m going to die. I’ve got a wife at home and I know I’m going to die, I just can’t do it.” Sergeant Struecker pulled him to the side and said, “Look man, I’m scared too but I don’t want you to think about yourself as a coward simply because you’re afraid. You know there real difference between a hero and a coward? It’s not fear. It’s what you do with the fear. That’s the difference. I need you on those humvees and the guys on those city streets need you.”
The Most Terrifying Moment
The most terrifying moment of Sergeant Struecker’s life was hand-washing the bloody humvee before going back out. He knew it was a suicide mission and he would likely die himself. But he pledged his life to his buddies and he remembered the Ranger Creed which states “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.”
Overcome by fear, he prayed, “God, I know I’m in trouble and tonight’s the night I’m going to die and I need your help.” Sergeant Struecker then felt God saying, “Jeff, did you really trust me when you were thirteen years old? You said you believed but did you really? Because if you trusted me, I can take care you. I have you right in the palm on my hand. You don’t have to worry about what happens next. I will take care of whatever happens to you next.”
Two Great Options
Sergeant Struecker still thought he was going to die that night but things would only come down one of two ways. One, maybe he survives and goes home to his family in Georgia. Two, if he were to die in the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, before his body hits the ground, his soul will be with his Father in Heaven. No matter what happens next, you could not lose. What happened 2,000 years ago on the cross was radically impacting his life now.
What Happened After Blackhawk Down
The moments after the battle concluded were some of the most important moments of Sergeant Struecker’s life. After safely returning to the hanger on October 5th, 1993, before he could get back to his cot, fellow soldiers needed his immediate attention. They wanted to know what happened to their friends who had just died. What would happen to them in a similar situation? These were the exact same questions Jeff asked as an eight-year-old.
Sergeant Struecker began telling people about Jesus. He explained he could fight like he could because of his faith in Jesus and his fellow soldiers needed that. Sergeant Struecker then went on to become an Army Chaplain. In subsequent battles, he would tell his fellow soldiers, “I know because I’ve been there. On the battlefield, it’s different when your eternity is settled and your faith is in Jesus Christ.”
For the last several decades, Sergeant Struecker has been both preparing for the enemy but also preparing his friends for eternity. Sergeant Struecker then planted a church just outside of Fort Benning, GA so he “could reach America’s warriors helping them get ready for eternity because some of them are going to meet Jesus face-to-face while they’re young and it’s going to be because of a bullet on the battlefield.”
The content of this post came from a speech Sergeant Struecker gave to the men of Piedmont Church on October 5th, 2022. The date happened to be the 29th anniversary of his return from the streets of Mogadishu.
My latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!