- James Cavaco
Cpl. James Manuel Cavaco (
February 12 1967 –October 3 1993 ) was a U.S. Army Ranger who served inMogadishu ,Somalia . He was one of the 18 American soldiers killed during Battle of Mogadishu, killed on the "Lost Convoy".Early life
James Cavaco was born to Joseph and Barbara Cavaco on
February 12 ,1967 , the youngest of three children. He was fromAttleboro, Massachusetts , but grew up in Rehoboth and Sandwich. Cavaco attended Upper Cape Regional Vocational Technical School onCape Cod , majoring in plumbing and heating and graduating in 1985. After graduating, he went on to attendCape Cod Community College . He wrote music and played guitar in a band with several friends. He worked on and off doingplumbing . He also worked a number of other jobs including being a self-employed landscaper. He made some good friends and had a few girl friends. For the last few years before joining the Army, James was unsure of himself and mainly unhappy with what he was doing with his life.He enlisted in the Army in the spring of 1991. However, he needed to wait several months before heading to basic training. He gained about twenty pounds in the interim, working out by himself. He ran while wearing a backpack filled with sand and rocks. He completed Airborne Training and earned the coveted Ranger tab. He served with the Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion,
75th Ranger Regiment atFort Benning , Georgia.Military Service
Cavaco was one of 18 United States military personnel killed in action in Somalia between
October 3 and 4,1993 . He had been part of a Rangers unit that climbed down ropes from a helicopter in support of a mission to capture Somali clan leaders. Cavaco was killed on the Lost Convoy. He was 26 years old.Book portrayal
James Cavaco's role in the Battle of Mogadishu was described in the novel .
See also
*
Fall of Mogadishu
*Operation Gothic Serpent
*Somali Civil War ources
*Bowden, Mark, "", Atlantic Monthly Press (1999)
*http://www.nightstalkers.com/tfranger/memorial/cavaco/index.html
*http://www.hollywood.com/movie/Black_Hawk_Down/416131
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