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Task & Purpose: Meet The Real "Hoot" Of Black Hawk Down

OptimusPrime

Black Hawk Down The Hoot (Eric Bana)

Meet the real Delta Force operator involved in the Operation Gothic Serpent who was portrayed by Eric Bana as "Hoot" in "Black Hawk Down". Task & Purpose got to interview Norm Hooten who tells us not to panic in combat.

"If there’s one thing to remember in combat it’s this: Whatever you do, don’t panic.

Norm Hooten knows this better than most.

Nearly 27 years ago, Hooten and other Delta Force soldiers, as well as U.S. Army Rangers, were fighting for survival during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. Cut off, outnumbered, and surrounded, the situation might have seemed hopeless for the American troops on the ground.

“It's never as good as it seems and it's never as bad as it seems, but keep your head and there's always a way out,” said Hooten, who was portrayed by actor Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott’s 2001 military drama about the battle.

"That's the most important thing: Keep your head, don't panic. Never ever panic, it's the worst thing you can do."

Read the full interview here with a video on his recollection of the battle from U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

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