Danny McKnight
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Danny McKnight | |
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| Born | April 9, 1951 Columbus, Georgia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1973–2002 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 3rd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment 4th Battalion,27th Infantry Regiment First United States Army |
| Awards | Legion of Merit(2) Bronze Star MedalwithValor Purple Heart |
| Relations | Linda McKnight (spouse) |
| Other work | Motivational speaker |
Danny R. McKnight(born April 9, 1951) is an American retiredcolonelwho served in theUnited States Army.He is best known for his role as commander of the 3rd Battalion,75th Ranger Regimentin theBattle of Mogadishu.[1]His participation in the battle was also heavily portrayed in the filmBlack Hawk Down,where his role was played byTom Sizemore.[2]
Early life
[edit]Danny R. McKnight was born inColumbus, Georgia,on April 9, 1951. His family later moved toRockledge, Florida,in 1959. McKnight graduated fromCocoa High Schoolin 1969 andBrevard Community College(nowEastern Florida State College) in 1971.
Early military career
[edit]It was during his undergraduate studies where McKnight's military career began to take shape. He was recognized as a distinguished military graduate byFlorida State Universityin 1973, shortly after earning his bachelor's degree in management. He eventually went on to complete theBasic Officer Leaders Courseand graduated from theUnited States Army Airborne SchoolandRanger School.In 1985, he earned hismaster's degreein higher education from theUniversity of Floridawhile being simultaneously assigned as an assistant professor of military science in the university'sArmy Reserve Officers' Training Corpsdepartment.
Overseas deployments
[edit]In 1989, McKnight was deployed toPanamaas part of theUnited States invasion of Panama.
McKnight was deployed again in 1993 toMogadishu,Somalia.During this time, he served ascommanderof the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as part of aspecial operationsdetachment tasked with peacekeeping operations on behalf of theUnited Nationssecurity forces. It had already been thesecond United Nations interventionin theSomali Civil Warat the time of McKnight's deployment.
Situations in Mogadishu eventually devolved and escalated, resulting in theBattle of Mogadishu.McKnight participated in the battle by commanding the 450 soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment and leading the coalition convoy through the city. He sustained injuries in the neck and arm during the battle.[3]
Awards and decorations
[edit]COL McKnight's awards include:[4]
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Expert Infantryman Badge |
See also
[edit]- Operation Just Cause
- Battle of Mogadishu
- William F. Garrison
- Jeff Struecker
- Michael D. Steele
- Black Hawk Down
References
[edit]- ^Livingston, Shawn (2010). "McKnight, Daniel". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.).The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts.ABC-CLIO. p.784.ISBN9781851099481.
- ^Rubin, Steven Jay (2011).Combat Films: American Realism, 1945–2010.McFarland. p.256.ISBN9780786458929.
- ^Circelli, Deborah (April 17, 2018)."The Battle of Mogadishu Still at Forefront of Retired Col. Danny McKnight's Mind".The Embry Riddle Newsroom.Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
- ^"COL Danny R. McKnight, USA (Ret.)".dannymcknight.RetrievedOctober 19,2020.