Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series we can only describe as equal parts baffling and horrific, Netflix’s ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ retells the tale of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. It actually features both archival footage as well as exclusive interviews with those close to the matter to really shine a light upon precisely what transpired those days and why. Amongst those to thus be a part of this original was late Army Master Sergeant Gary Gordon’s wife, Carmen Gordon, who had no idea of her husband’s work until it was too late.
Carmen and Gary Gordon Led a Near Idyllic Life
It was reportedly back when Carmen was relatively young that she first came across Gary while visiting her parents, only for them to soon fall head over heels in love. He was 18 when he joined the Army before going on to become a member of the First Special Forces Operation Detachment as a sniper, but he kept his personal and professional life far apart. In fact, despite the fact they continued to correspond even then and tied the knot three years after the fact, neither she nor any member of their family ever saw him in uniform or heard him talk of work.
While even spouses were not privy to most of the work done by Gary’s unit, he kept it one step further, likely not only for privacy reasons but also because he wanted to protect his loved ones. Therefore, when he was deployed to Somalia in the early 1990s, all he told his wife was that he was leaving for a trip. It wasn’t until Carmen heard of the battle on the news that she was informed her husband was there and that he was missing in action.
The news shattered her heart, but she kept herself together, considering the couple shared two young by this point: 6-year-old Ian as well as 3-year-old Brittany. However, nothing could have ever prepared her for what she felt on that cold winter morning when two officials were walking towards her door with somber faces. She even turned around in the hope they would just leave, but they were there to deliver the news that Gary had indeed passed. He had died while protecting four members of his crew who had been critically wounded following their helicopter’s crash.
Carmen Gordon Continues to Keep Her Husband’s Memories Alive
Despite being utterly shattered over losing Gary, Carmen did her best to be there for her children and handle everything for them, all the while keeping Gary’s legacy alive. In fact, she was the one who accepted the Medal of Honor awarded to her husband for all his efforts in Somalia post-humously by then-President Bill Clinton in 1994. As if that’s not enough, she has since evolved into a public speaker and doesn’t shy away from speaking of Gary or his heroics at events for soldiers, veterans, and their families. Even though grief still hangs over her head like a dark cloud, she has made it clear she is proud of being his widow.
Coming to Carmen’s current stand, it appears as if the Maine native is a graduate of Paire College of the Arts in Connecticut, following which she relocated to Moore County to start a family. She has long asserted that even though she married young, she always had a support system that encouraged her to continue creating like she wanted, which is precisely what she did. So, when her youngest was ready to go to college, and she realized she was eligible for tuition as well, she worked hard to get the Special Operations Fund Scholarship to the local Atelier for three years.
From there, Carmen reportedly decided to spread her wings and relocated to New York to attend the Grand Central Academy, which opened her up to a whole new world of opportunities. Nevertheless, she decided to continue training by attending the Academy of Classical Design, only to ultimately establish her own studio on her farm, the Oak Hollow Farm and Studio. Today, residing above the waters just south of Carthage, North Carolina, she continues to explore her art from there, all the while also offering lessons and workshops to new students and nationally recognized artists alike.
You must be logged in to post a comment.