Who is Tom Satterly in Surviving Black Hawk Down? Details explored

Netflix’s Surviving Black Hawk Down has brought forth the harrowing stories of U.S. soldiers and Somali citizens to the screen. The documentary, produced by Ridley Scott Associates, takes you back to the Battle of Mogadishu that shook the world in 1993. Tom Satterley, a highly decorated combat veteran, was at the epicenter of the battle. In the documentary, he gives an account of the events and how they changed his life forever.

Tom Satterly shares his story

As a member of the U.S. Delta Force, Tom Satterly was at the center of the Battle of Mogadishu along with the Army Rangers in 1993. Satterly’s tasks involved hostage rescue, capture, and kill missions. Satterly recalls how being part of the Force felt as if they were indestructible.

Satterly and his team had entered Mogadishu to neutralize a war, but it soon turned into an unexpected battlefield when Somali forces shot down two Black Hawk helicopters. What followed was an overnight battle for survival.

The soldiers combatted resistance from the Somalis. He recollects the moment when the soldiers made a perimeter surrounding the target building in order to hold back Somali combatants, only to later realize that they were in the wrong spot. This was first of the many miscalculations and poor communication they made during the battle. At least 18 Americans lost their lives in the fight.

In an interview, Satterly said:

‘That feeling of being trapped and you just want to go home. That's when you realize it’s real combat.’

Satterly remembers the battle with great pain and how it was devastating for him to explain the grim state of affairs once he was back home. He took to Instagram to share his experience:

Coming back from Somalia didn’t happen until I was able to face the grief disguised as anger. Hell I still get angry and I still have to work on where to put it. But time has been a great teacher and I’ve learned more about myself since I started facing and fighting my demons than by trying to ignoring them (unsuccessfully at that).

Tom Satterly’s Life Today

Tom Satterly served the military for about 25 years and led several successful missions. Since his retirement, he has taken it upon himself to support military personnel off the battlefields. To help special operation families deal with post-traumatic stress, Satterly co-founded the All Secure Foundation, for which he is also the CEO alongside his wife, Jen. The non-profit organization helps war veterans reconnect with families and handle post-war difficulties.

Surviving Black Hawk is a three-part docuseries on Netflix that provides unfiltered accounts of the Battle of Mogadishu.