Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ being a documentary series that shines a light upon the 18-hour 1993 Battle of Mogadishu from every angle, we get an original unlike any other. That’s because this 3-part production incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews from former US soldiers and Somali fighters as well as civilians alike to really underscore the events. Amongst those to this feature, here was none other than then-Army Ranger Brad Thomas, who arguably experienced more loss than he could have ever imagined.
Brad Thomas’ First Love Wasn’t the Army
While Brad admittedly wasn’t very patriotic or determined to serve his nation as a teenager, things changed for him as he grew older and realized his passion for music wasn’t panning out. He had a band and original music at that time, but he himself indicated in the original production that they weren’t good enough to make a career out of it. Therefore, when 1990 rolled around, he decided to enlist in the Army, passing the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) and soon getting assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Brad still remembers how grueling training was since they were a significant line of defense, along with every word of their pledge, so when he finally got the Somali mission in 1993, he was excited about it. Brad honestly was just a kid at the time following orders, so he was excited to finally see some action, unaware of how messy it would all soon turn around. He still remembers that on the evening of October 2nd, it was his turn to call home to talk to his family, but he gave his chance to a friend struggling, expecting he’d be able to take his turn the next evening.
However, by the time the evening of October 3rd rolled around, he was in the middle of a full-on battle as a mission to capture some militia leaders turned out to be a trap. One of his closest friends, with whom he’d visited the beach just hours prior, was shot in action in the vehicle right in front of him, and that’s when he lost his cool. He hadn’t been shooting owing to the fact civilians were on the streets, but once his friend was shot, he opened fire. It was only when he returned to camp that he found out another one of his friends was also killed in action, so he continued to honor their memories.
Brad Thomas’ Army Experiences Went Beyond the Battle of Mogadishu
Brad was a specialist at the time of the Battle of Mogadishu, and while he is glad to make it out alive of that grueling battle in one piece, he is still heartbroken over the fact he lost many acquiescences and friends. So, by the time the mid-1990s rolled around, he had decided to step into the Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD) before eventually getting selected for the Army Special Mission Unit. He served in this unit for the rest of his army career, spanning a total of two decades, until 2010, during which he was even deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to reports, Brad was a Tier 1 Special Operations personnel in the Delta Force for 12 years, meaning he saw active combat on a regular basis and served his nation to the best of his abilities. He was not only a Ranger and in the Special Forces but also a High-Altitude Low-Opening parachutist, Jumpmaster, and Foreign Jump Wings, indicating he gave his job his all. Thanks to these innate skills and determination, he earned 2 Combat Infantry Badges, 4 Bronze stars with 2 valor designations and 2 Joint Service Commendations with 2 valor designations for his service.
Brad Thomas Has Returned to His Passion of Music
Once Brad was discharged from service in 2010 on his own accord, he didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his free time and the normalcy he had. It was only when his wife gave him the idea that he could do something with his passion for music since he already spent most of his time creating it that he began taking it more seriously and found his new calling. That same year, in 2017, he met up with Green Beret veteran plus renowned musician Jason Everman (guitarist for Nirvana and Mind Funk) in New York and formed a new band by the name of Silence & Light.
Brad and Jason were later joined by three other veterans, following which they began working on their debut album in Van Nuys, California – ‘Volume One’ was released in 2019. By this point, the band had already released several singles, too, with the help of which they had made clear they would use their platform to support veterans and first responders in any way they could. In fact, it seems like they donate most of their proceeds to different charitable organizations that match their vision. Since then, they have continued to make music with this same mission in mind, and they plan on releasing a new EP in 2025. Therefore, today, residing in North Carolina, Brad proudly holds the position of Founder, Songwriter, and Lead Guitarist for Silence and Light, all the while also being a devoted family man.
