Page 250 and Counting

At Chalk Two's original blocking position the war had finally seemed like it died down. Just as it seemed that their corner was completely under their control, Captain Steele came in over the radio. They were ordered to move to the first crash site and help secure the perimeter around it. Originally, the plan had been to move to the site on the Humvees but the convoy had left them behind. Reluctantly they started out on foot.

Soon after Chalk Two arrived at the first crash site, the CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) team roped in to take care of any wounded at the helicopter. While the team was dropping in Sgt. Paul Howe, a Delta operator, was on the roof of the target building still. He saw the helicopters dropping men but didn't know why. He had been too busy inside the building to realize that Wallcott's bird had gone down.

Once the Rangers and Delta were finished at the target they were ordered to move to the site. The convoy would drive in to secure the perimeter and pick everyone up. As the convoy drove off, the Rangers under the command of Captain Steele and Sergeant Howe's Delta team would move there on foot. Howe remembered feeling uneasy about moving there on foot, in a city where they were surrounded by thousands of Somali militia.

Most of the Delta operatives, however, felt that they were the perfect soldiers for the job. This is what they trained for (and rather extensively at that). They moved through the streets and buildings as if they owned them. Captain Steele, one of the Ranger commanders, did not like the the presence of Delta. He recognized that they did their job and are extremely good at what they did. The operatives thought for themselves though and did not follow the rule book as the Rangers had been taught. When Steele's Rangers saw Delta they copied them, followed their lead and abandoned the standard Ranger operating procedures.

Half way to the crash site, Steele and the Delta team, got pinned down and couldn't finish their movement to the crash. Most of the Rangers at this point were extremely scared and looking to Delta for reassurance. Then, Sgt. Earl Fillmore, one of the Delta operatives, was shot in the head and killed instantly. The Rangers thought, "If the D-boys [Delta] are getting killed, what chance do I have?" After this, the assault force could not move. They had to stay where they were and hold out for the convoy.