The single flaw a former Delta Force member found in ‘Black Hawk Down’: “The only thing that caught my ear”

Movies are still movies, even when they are based on real events. Black Hawk Down, one of Ridley Scott’s most acclaimed war films, tells the story of a mission that took place in Somalia.

The United Nations ordered the capture of warlord Aidid in an effort to end the conflict, but the operation went wrong and two helicopters were shot down. From that point on, the mission became increasingly difficult and the situation spiraled out of control.

So how realistic is the film? Bob Keller, a former US Army Special Forces and Delta Force operator, said (via Business Insider) that the movie is highly believable, though he did point out one small mistake.

“It’s pretty much legit,” Keller said. The former serviceman noted that the movie is based on a real mission in Mogadishu and emphasized that the objective was to capture an HVI, or “high-value individual.” According to him, Delta Force operates at “it’s the next step up” when it comes to direct-action missions and hostage rescue. He believes the film portrayed them accurately: “You want more assaults, you want to be better at hostage rescue,” just as shown in the movie.

Another key element the film gets right is Delta Force’s coordination and teamwork. “Working together? Absolutely.” He also explained that Ranger battalions are often used in large-scale missions, though it is unusual for an entire battalion to be involved. He said that is “very seldom,” but it has happened before: “But, it has happened, yeah.” As for the 160th’s pilots and helicopters, he said they are portrayed just as they should be in the film.

The only mistake is a matter of terminology

So what was the error?

“The only thing I would, that caught my ear. They called it ‘extraction,’ like we say ‘exfil,’ but I guess if you’re extracting someone, it would make sense.”

Black Hawk Down was released in 2001 and is currently available to rent on Apple+ and Amazon Prime Video as well as other platforms.

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