- Jeff Struecker
Jeff Struecker born in 1969 in
Fort Dodge ,Iowa is a U.S. ArmyChaplain notable for his involvement in the Battle of Mogadishu in1993 . He also participated in the 1989invasion ofPanama (Operation Just Cause ) and inKuwait duringOperation Desert Storm .Enlisted in the Army in September of 1987 at the age of 18, Struecker served ten years in the
75th Ranger Regiment in positions ranging fromRanger Reconnaissance Specialist toPlatoon Sergeant .Some of his awards include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, Pathfinder Badge, Master Parachutist's Wings, Military Freefall Master Parachutist Wings, British Parachutist Wings, Thai Parachutist Wings, German Parachutist Wings, and German Sports Efficiency Badge.Also recognized in 1998 with the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps ROTC Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
He would go on to win the Best Ranger competition in 1996 with his partner. [https://www.infantry.army.mil/bestrangercompetition/content/photos_previous.htm]
Battle of Mogadishu
In the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Struecker was a 24 year old Sergeant and squad leader assigned to
Task Force Ranger as a part of the75th Ranger Regiment .In the film based on the battle, "Black Hawk Down", he is portrayed by
Brian Van Holt .Later life
After his enlisted service, Streucker would go on to graduate from seminary and become commissioned as a Chaplain.
Today he speaks about his experiences and about his
Christian faith. Struecker became a Christian at age 13 and stated that " [a] s a Christian, no matter what happens to me in this life, if I live or die, I am firmly in God's hands."Education and personal life
Struecker earned a Master of Divinity Degree from the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary inLouisville, Kentucky , and a Bachelor of Science Degree and Associate of Science Degree fromTroy State University inTroy, Alabama .He is married to his wife Dawn with five children: Aaron, 13, Jacob, 11, Joseph, 9, Abigail, 8, and Lydia, 5.
He is portrayed on the cover of Homelife Magazine in March of 2007. [https://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_crd_mgz_homelifesample_pdf.pdf]
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.