WEBVTT

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The 2001 movie, Blackhawk Down,

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depicts the true story of a U.S. Military Operation in the East African nation of Somalia.

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A taskforce made up of U.S. Army Rangers,

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a special operations aviation regiment, and members of delta force

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were sent to the capital city, Mogadishu, to capture senior members

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of a violent, civilian militia led by the savaged Somali warlord, Muhammad Ferrar Adi.

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Though the mission was ultimately successful,

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the taskforce of 100 soldiers quickly found themselves

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outnumbered and outgunned by the Somali militia.

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The operation was supposed to take no more than an hour to complete,

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however the soldiers were engaged in intense, close combat,

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fighting for their lives for more than 15 hours.

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Vicious Somali gunmen fiercely attacked our soldiers with a wide assortment of weapons,

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including more than 200 rocket propelled grenades

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and ultimately shot down two Blackhawk helicopters

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and killed 18 American soldiers during the battle.

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[Music]

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Hello and welcome to inside CBP. I'm Michael Pope.

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In this edition of inside CBP, honoring our veterans,

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one of CBP's own, border patrol agent, Adalberto Rodriguez,

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was one of the U.S. soldiers who bravely fought in that fierce 15 hour firefight in Mogadishu

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on that unforgettable day, October 3, 1993.

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Agent Rodrigues left part of himself on that East African battlefield

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but what he did not leave behind was a strong desire to serve his country,

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which he does today as a member of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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Everybody has to sacrifice a little so we can all live the way we do

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and that's what I would like to tell anybody that they ask me.

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I don't see my sacrifice as great or holy, but I'm doing my part.

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If I'm doing my part the way I'm doing it with the conditions that I have,

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all of us I'm pretty sure can.

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But agent Rodriguez's recollection of the gun battle against hundreds of Somalis

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with malice in their hearts more than 16 years ago is as crisp as if it happened yesterday.

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My particular mission was to fast rope from my UH-60 helicopter into one of the corners of the building

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so we could create a perimeter along with the other three units

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in order for other elements of the task force to come inside the building and capture the prisoners.

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Helicopters flared.

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There was dust everywhere and as soon as we hit the target building there was gunfire everywhere.

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There were rocket propelled grenades going off everywhere

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and immediately I spotted enemy combatants shooting at us

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and I acquired a position where I could engage them

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and I immediately started engaging them.

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Shortly thereafter the HMMVs finally showed up.

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The fighting continued, had extreme heavy fire from everywhere we went

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and to top it all off one of the helicopters got hit and it went down.

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Radio: We've got a Blackhawk down. We've got a Blackhawk down.

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So we were to approach the crash site and create a perimeter.

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It seemed to me that it was an ambush in every place that we went, in every corner, every turn.

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There was people running everywhere with rifles.

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It was a target rich environment if you will.

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Agent Rodriguez suffered many serious wounds during the fight

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resulting in permanent and disabling injuries.

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I was shot several times with a small arms fire.

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I was shot in my back, in my hip, I took a round close to my knee and a little bit below it.

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Also an RPG took most of the back of my knee, severed my hamstrings,

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and all the nerves that lead to my leg.

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The rocket propelled grenade came from my left, hit the gas tank in the HMMV.

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At that point, I'm engulfed in a ball of fire

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and I could hardly breathe so I decided to jump out of the HMMV.

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I'm laying on the ground.

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I tried to cover my leg is much as I could,

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put pressure on it to prevent blood everywhere

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and that's when the Somali decides to come across the ambush line

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and he tries to shoot me at point blank range.

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He pointed his rifle and he just pulled the trigger, full automatic.

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And I believe he hit me three times.

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Agent Rodriguez was hospitalized for seven months

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at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C.,

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while here he received excellent medical care from the staff during his grueling recovery period.

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Now his courage and sacrifice were honored by many visitors

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including the President of the United States.

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Mr. Clinton came into my room and that was a very touching moment.

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He was touched. He couldn't believe that we were so young.

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He asked me how old I was. I told him I was 20 years old.

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As soon as I got into Walter Reed I had a dedicated team of doctors working on me

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and they pretty much took care of me from head to toe.

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There the doctors did everything they could to save my leg,

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which they were successful at it.

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Agent Rodriguez has a permanent disability

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but he found a different kind of strength to endure the rigorous training

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required to become a member of both the border patrol's special response team, or SRT,

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and the border tactical team, or BORTAC.

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The special response team selection course was, it was brutal.

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I'm not going to lie. But it's all in your mind.

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Your body can take a lot of punishment and that's my motto,

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you know, if your mind is willing to do it, you will be willing to do it.

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Your body sometimes presents limitations.

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You've just got to learn how to deal with them and work with them so you can overcome obstacles.

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Today, agent Rodriguez's is stationed in El Paso Texas

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where he stops undocumented migrants and potential terrorists from entering the country.

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He seizes illegal narcotics and guards our nation's borders with the spirit of an American warrior.

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I feel that if we can protect our country, we can live better lives.

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So it's worth, you know, dying for it, fighting for it, standing guard for it.

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It's completely worth it because after all if there is no country, there is no family.

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There is no peace. There is no prosperity.

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CBP border patrol agent Adalberto Rodriguez is but one shining example

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of the love of country that fuels many of the men and women

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who are part of U.S. Customs and border protection.

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We honor CBP personnel who served our nation as part of the U.S. military

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and who continue to defend our country as part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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For inside CBP, I'm Michael Pope.