With My Shield

An Army Ranger in Somalia

By: James Lechner

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the inside story of an Army Ranger, surrounded and outnumbered, fighting a desperate action on the ground during the Black Hawk Down raid in Somalia in 1993.

In 1993 Lieutenant James Lechner, a member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was selected for a top secret special operations task force being sent to Mogadishu, Somalia, to capture the insurgent leader Mohamed Farah Aideed. In early October, after weeks on the ground and conducting a number of raids in the city, the Task Force is called upon to conduct a daring daylight mission into the heart of Aideed’s territory. During the raid, following the initial dangerous fast rope insertion and subsequent capture of a group of Aideed’s lieutenants, one of the Task Force Black Hawk helicopters is shot down and Lechner and his comrades are soon caught up in the fiercest combat involving US forces since the Vietnam War. In the middle of the hostile city, deep in the enemy’s stronghold, the small group of Rangers and special operators now find themselves fighting not only to rescue the downed helicopter’s crewmen, but also to save their own lives.

This first-hand account tells the story of how these elite warriors were able to stand together and prevail against incredible odds. It gives the listener the perspective of an Army Ranger fighting on the ground, combined with professional military analysis, in a groundbreaking book that tells the complete story with never-before-revealed details.

©2023 James Lechner (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

A powerful and vivid account of the Battle of Mogadishu from the middle of the fight. Here is the clash through the eyes of a soldier's soldier, a man who emerged from the fight badly wounded but unbroken. (Mark Bowden, author of 'Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War')

A magnificent book that tells the story of urban fighting in Mogadishu. … It is a phenomenal portrayal of personal courage, small unit commitment, and selfless sacrifice. (Colonel (retired) Robert Choppa, President of the National Infantry Association)

Jim Lechner has written the most detailed and fascinating account of the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, made famous by the movie Black Hawk Down. Jim was a key member of the US Special Operations contingent … [he] is one of the quiet warriors who went beyond what was required and became a warrior of uncommon valor. (Lieutenant General (retired) “Jerry” Boykin, commander of Task Force Ranger)

It was an okay read

I wish the book was double the length. I kept wanting more information and more story. It was a good outline of this soldier's experience.

Good read

This was a riveting account of the well known Battle of Mogadishu. Thank you to all who serve.