Ed Yurek

Ed Yurek (b. 1967, Wilmington, Massachusetts) is one of the United States Army Rangers who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu. During the battle, the Staff Sergeant was a team leader assigned to Chalk Two, and was notable for having to take cover in a school building trying to hide from Somali gunmen for the span of a few hours before having his squad reunite with the other Rangers stationed at Cliff Wolcott's crash site.

In 1997, Yurek was interviewed by Mark Bowden about his role in the battle. Yurek is currently serving as a 1st Sergeant for a reserve company in Lewiston, Maine. One of his duties is to teach marksmanship to students of West Point. He also serves as a Patrol Officer for the Brunswick, ME, Police Department.

Film portrayals

In film based on the Battle of Mogadishu, Black Hawk Down, Yurek was portrayed by actor Tom Guiry. His role in the movie was slightly downsized. Other than being a part of Sergeant Eversmann's squad, Yurek did take cover in a school building after being separated by his squad, though he was by himself at the time and the stay was very brief compared to the novels. He was also at one point nearly killed by Specialists Lance Twombly and Shawn Nelson. From that point on, he eventually leads the two machine gunners to Wolcott's crash site.