Mike Steele
Encyclopedia
Michael D. Steele was a Colonel
in the United States Army
. He was a company commander in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment during the Somalia
mission Operation Gothic Serpent
, which resulted in the now famous book and movie Black Hawk Down, where he was portrayed by actor Jason Isaacs
. He briefly appears in the documentary I Am an American Soldier
.
He was investigated in conjunction with the murders of three unarmed Iraqis during Operation Iron Triangle
. The four soldiers charged in the case testified that Steele had instructed them to "kill all military-age males. Steele denied giving such an order, and was formally reprimanded but not charged.
town of Statham
. He attended and was an offensive lineman for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football
team, during the Vince Dooley
era. In 1980, the Bulldogs were crowned national champions. Upon graduation, Steele was commissioned as an infantry
officer through Army ROTC in 1983. His first assignment was to the Berlin Brigade
in West Berlin
. Later he received a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University
. His military education includes the following: Airborne School, Ranger School
, Joint Power Control School, Army Command and General Staff College.
, Somalia, with his Ranger company as part of Task Force Ranger, which was tasked with capturing two lieutenants of the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid
. Task Force Ranger also included a deployment package from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) from Fort Campbell
, Kentucky.
On the afternoon of 3 October 1993, Task Force Ranger received intelligence that two leaders of Aidid’s militia were at a residence in central Mogadishu. In response, the task force sent 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles, and 160 men to arrest them. During the mission, one of the Rangers, PFC
Todd Blackburn, missed the rope whilst fast-roping from an UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and fell 70 feet to the street below, badly injuring himself. At 1542 hours, in Mogadishu
, Captain Steele fast-roped
into the Bakara Market with 120 Rangers, led by Lt. Colonel Danny McKnight, and approximately 40 Delta Force operators. The raid was to take 30 minutes and was meant to capture Omar Salad and Abdi Hassan Awale, two top advisors to Warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid. These and other prisoners along with Blackburn were loaded into the vehicle convoy to be transported back to base. However, with the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters, Super 61 (CW4 Cliff Wolcott) and Super 64 (CW3 Mike Durant), the mission changed dramatically and for the worse.
The Rangers and Delta operators, under the command of CPT Steele, provided security around the crash site of Super 61 and fought off thousands of armed insurgents through the night. After 15½ hours of intense fighting, a convoy of armored vehicles finally arrived to take away the casualties. The Rangers then provided security around the convoy and fought their way out to the relative safety of the Pakistani Stadium, just north of the Bakara Market. The outcome of the raid was 16 Rangers, Delta, and 160th SOAR personnel KIA and 89 WIA. 2 American soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and one Pakistani soldier were killed in the extraction convoy. One more Delta operator was killed several days later when a mortar round struck the compound of Task Force Ranger. Durant was held captive for eleven days. Anywhere from 700-1500 Somali militia were killed. Omar Salad was captured, as was Abdi Hassan Awale, but it was not the right Omar Salad. Captain Steele was awarded the Bronze Star
with Valor Device
for his actions as a commander during the fight.
Steele is the former commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team/187th Infantry Regiment
(Rakkasans) of the 101st Airborne Division
, which returned from a tour of duty in the Salah ad Din province in Iraq
in the autumn of 2006.
) from June 2004 through November 2006. During his command, he oversaw the transformation of the unit from a traditional three battalion infantry brigade into a six battalion infantry brigade combat team composed of two infantry battalions, a reconnaissance squadron, a field artillery battalion, support battalion, and special troops battalion.
Colonel Steele and his brigade deployed to Iraq the fall of 2005 and conducted operations primarily in Salah ad Din province. In March 2006, the brigade planned and executed Operation Swarmer
, which was a joint U.S-Iraqi air assault operation targeting insurgents in the desert area to the northeast province of Samarra
. According to the US military, it was the largest air assault in Iraq since the start of Iraq War in 2003. In addition to Operation Swarmer, the brigade conducted numerous other brigade and battalion sized operations including Operation Katrina, Operation Rita, Operations Red Light I, II and III, Operation Swift Sword, Operation Starlight, and Operation Iron Triangle
.
In November 2006, Colonel Steele successfully completed his command with the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and was assigned as the Deputy G3, Training, United States Army Forces Command
(FORSCOM) at Fort McPherson
, Georgia, where he coordinates the training for CONUS based Army forces.
Peter W. Chiarelli
, former commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq. The reprimand effectively ended Steele's future chances of promotion in the Army. The content of the reprimand has not been made public, but two anonymous defense department officials identified by The New York Times have said that the reprimand was "for not reporting the deaths and other details of the raid."
Steele also instigated the use of "Kill Boards" to track how many Iraqis each Company had killed, while one of Steele's Battalion Commanders', Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Johnson, Jr. has written that "Colonel Steele constantly articulated his judgment and displeasure that my battalion was not being aggressive enough toward the insurgents."
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He was a company commander in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment during the Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
mission Operation Gothic Serpent
Operation Gothic Serpent
Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by special operations forces of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid...
, which resulted in the now famous book and movie Black Hawk Down, where he was portrayed by actor Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
. He briefly appears in the documentary I Am an American Soldier
I Am an American Soldier
I Am an American Soldier is a 2007 documentary film about the Iraq War, produced by John Laurence."One Year in Iraq with the 101st Airborne."...
.
He was investigated in conjunction with the murders of three unarmed Iraqis during Operation Iron Triangle
Operation Iron Triangle
Operation Iron Triangle was a military operation in the Iraq War. The operation was led by Michael D. Steele in 2006. The operation targeted a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq training facility southwest of the city of Samarra near the Muthana Chemical Complex south of Lake Thar Thar.- Iron Triangle...
. The four soldiers charged in the case testified that Steele had instructed them to "kill all military-age males. Steele denied giving such an order, and was formally reprimanded but not charged.
Background
Colonel Steele is from the small northeast GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
town of Statham
Statham, Georgia
Statham is a city in Barrow County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,040 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Statham is located at ....
. He attended and was an offensive lineman for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
team, during the Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
era. In 1980, the Bulldogs were crowned national champions. Upon graduation, Steele was commissioned as an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
officer through Army ROTC in 1983. His first assignment was to the Berlin Brigade
Berlin Brigade
After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War...
in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Later he received a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
. His military education includes the following: Airborne School, Ranger School
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
, Joint Power Control School, Army Command and General Staff College.
Operation Gothic Serpent
In August 1993, Steele deployed to MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia, with his Ranger company as part of Task Force Ranger, which was tasked with capturing two lieutenants of the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
. Task Force Ranger also included a deployment package from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) from Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, Kentucky.
On the afternoon of 3 October 1993, Task Force Ranger received intelligence that two leaders of Aidid’s militia were at a residence in central Mogadishu. In response, the task force sent 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles, and 160 men to arrest them. During the mission, one of the Rangers, PFC
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Todd Blackburn, missed the rope whilst fast-roping from an UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and fell 70 feet to the street below, badly injuring himself. At 1542 hours, in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Captain Steele fast-roped
Fast-roping
Fast-roping, sometimes known as Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System , is a technique for descending a thick rope. It is useful for deploying troops from a helicopter in places where the helicopter itself cannot touch down. First developed by the British with UK rope manufacturer Marlow Ropes,...
into the Bakara Market with 120 Rangers, led by Lt. Colonel Danny McKnight, and approximately 40 Delta Force operators. The raid was to take 30 minutes and was meant to capture Omar Salad and Abdi Hassan Awale, two top advisors to Warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid. These and other prisoners along with Blackburn were loaded into the vehicle convoy to be transported back to base. However, with the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters, Super 61 (CW4 Cliff Wolcott) and Super 64 (CW3 Mike Durant), the mission changed dramatically and for the worse.
The Rangers and Delta operators, under the command of CPT Steele, provided security around the crash site of Super 61 and fought off thousands of armed insurgents through the night. After 15½ hours of intense fighting, a convoy of armored vehicles finally arrived to take away the casualties. The Rangers then provided security around the convoy and fought their way out to the relative safety of the Pakistani Stadium, just north of the Bakara Market. The outcome of the raid was 16 Rangers, Delta, and 160th SOAR personnel KIA and 89 WIA. 2 American soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and one Pakistani soldier were killed in the extraction convoy. One more Delta operator was killed several days later when a mortar round struck the compound of Task Force Ranger. Durant was held captive for eleven days. Anywhere from 700-1500 Somali militia were killed. Omar Salad was captured, as was Abdi Hassan Awale, but it was not the right Omar Salad. Captain Steele was awarded the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with Valor Device
Valor device
The Valor device is an award of the United States military which is a bronze attachment to certain medals to indicate that it was received for valor...
for his actions as a commander during the fight.
Steele is the former commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team/187th Infantry Regiment
187th Infantry Regiment
The 187th Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.The regimental motto is the Latin "Ne Desit Virtus" . The nickname "The Rakkasans" is derived from the Japanese word for parachute. The name was given to the 187th during its tour in occupied Japan...
(Rakkasans) of the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
, which returned from a tour of duty in the Salah ad Din province in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in the autumn of 2006.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Colonel Steele commanded the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Rakkasans187th Infantry Regiment
The 187th Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.The regimental motto is the Latin "Ne Desit Virtus" . The nickname "The Rakkasans" is derived from the Japanese word for parachute. The name was given to the 187th during its tour in occupied Japan...
) from June 2004 through November 2006. During his command, he oversaw the transformation of the unit from a traditional three battalion infantry brigade into a six battalion infantry brigade combat team composed of two infantry battalions, a reconnaissance squadron, a field artillery battalion, support battalion, and special troops battalion.
Colonel Steele and his brigade deployed to Iraq the fall of 2005 and conducted operations primarily in Salah ad Din province. In March 2006, the brigade planned and executed Operation Swarmer
Operation Swarmer
Operation Swarmer was a joint U.S-Iraqi air assault offensive targeting insurgents in Salahuddin province, near the central city of Samarra, Iraq....
, which was a joint U.S-Iraqi air assault operation targeting insurgents in the desert area to the northeast province of Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
. According to the US military, it was the largest air assault in Iraq since the start of Iraq War in 2003. In addition to Operation Swarmer, the brigade conducted numerous other brigade and battalion sized operations including Operation Katrina, Operation Rita, Operations Red Light I, II and III, Operation Swift Sword, Operation Starlight, and Operation Iron Triangle
Operation Iron Triangle
Operation Iron Triangle was a military operation in the Iraq War. The operation was led by Michael D. Steele in 2006. The operation targeted a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq training facility southwest of the city of Samarra near the Muthana Chemical Complex south of Lake Thar Thar.- Iron Triangle...
.
In November 2006, Colonel Steele successfully completed his command with the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and was assigned as the Deputy G3, Training, United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command is the largest Army Command and the preeminent provider of expeditionary, campaign-capable land forces to Combatant Commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National...
(FORSCOM) at Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
, Georgia, where he coordinates the training for CONUS based Army forces.
Iron Triangle Murders
These four soldiers testified that Steele had told them to "kill all military-age males." Steele refused to testify at the Article 32 hearing for the accused soldiers, which is considered unusual for a commanding officer. He was investigated in connection with the incident and stated that he did not use “specific language” to order his soldiers to kill all military-age males, and that “we don’t shoot people with their hands up.” He was not charged, but was later formally reprimanded by Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Peter W. Chiarelli
Peter W. Chiarelli
Peter W. Chiarelli is a United States Army General who is serving as the 32nd and current Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He previously served as commander, Multi-National Corps—Iraq under General George W. Casey, Jr. He assumed his current assignment on August 4, 2008...
, former commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq. The reprimand effectively ended Steele's future chances of promotion in the Army. The content of the reprimand has not been made public, but two anonymous defense department officials identified by The New York Times have said that the reprimand was "for not reporting the deaths and other details of the raid."
Steele also instigated the use of "Kill Boards" to track how many Iraqis each Company had killed, while one of Steele's Battalion Commanders', Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Johnson, Jr. has written that "Colonel Steele constantly articulated his judgment and displeasure that my battalion was not being aggressive enough toward the insurgents."
External links
- Bowden, Mark. "Black Hawk Down: An American War Story." Philadelphia Inquirer. December 14, 1997. accessed April 12, 2009.
- Brecher, Gary. "How To Steele A Promotion." The EXILE. January 26, 2007. Last accessed April 12, 2009.
- Daragahi, Borzou, and Julian E. Barnes. "Officers Allegedly Pushed `Kill Counts’." Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. August 3, 2006. Last accessed April 12, 2009. - Karl, Jonathan. "Army murder case: Why it’s significant." ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. August 1, 2006. Last accessed April 12, 2009. - Worth, Robert F. "Sergeant Tells of Plot to Kill Iraqi Detainees. New York Times. July 28, 2006. Last accessed April 12, 2009.