From what I've read, most of the soldiers who were involved in the Battle of the Black Sea, would have preferred we stay and finish what we started. However public opinion changed after footage of Durante being dragged around the city was shown on CNN. With a President, to whom polls mattered most (IMHO), there was no choice but for him to run away.

Some lessons I hope we've learned are these:

1. We need to have the resolve to stay even when ugly scenes start showing up on CNN. If it isn't important enough to stay after it gets ugly, why were we there in the first place.

2. Lets have a clear message from Washington. Task Force Ranger and Delta went in to arrest Aidid in Somalia, but the message from Washington was unclear at best. First, Aidid was supported as a nation builder, then he was the target, then shortly before Oct. 3, he was no longer a target. Unfortunatly his status as a non-target didn't make it to Somalia soon enough.

3. Lets let the warriars do the warring, and the Red Cross (or equivalent) hand out food. Lets keep any forces in the middle East focused on fighting.

-Steve G.