| He distinguished himself by actions above
and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while
serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special
Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu,
Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided
precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault
and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense
automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When
Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not
immediately available to secure the second crash site, he
and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted
to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being
well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in
on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master
Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer
mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused
them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was
inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped
with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon
and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from
the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and
shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master
Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew
members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed
him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master
Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an
undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition.
Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering
some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that
he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the
dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon
continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew.
After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle
ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage,
recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it
to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his
pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally
wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's
extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the
highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him,
his unit and the United States Army.
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