Comparison of the Invasions of Grenada and Mogadishu

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Comparison of the invasions of Grenada and Mogadishu
The USA has been involved with wars and conflicts since the beginning of its history. Many of these conflicts and wars range from big to small. Two main invasions during the 20th century were the invasions of Grenada in 1983 and Mogadishu, Somalia in 1991. These two invasions had many events that could be deemed successes or failures, but were similar due to the fact that they protected the US and the countries surrounding the conflicts. They also showed the strength of the US army at the time.
On an evening in 1983 a truck bomb exploded near marine barracks in Lebanon at the Beirut National Airport thus causing the US invasion of Grenada (Lacey). This caught the US off guard and forced President Reagan to take action. The action would take place in Grenada not Lebanon. Grenada is a small island nation in the Caribbean Sea .Grenada’s problems started after a military coup took place in the country that allowed the N.J.M.P (New Jewel Movement Party), a corrupt government, to take control in the small island (Dupuy). This concerned many of the other Caribbean countries surrounding Grenada. On October 21st ,six small countries Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, and Antigua. These countries composed the organization of eastern Caribbean states had decided to take action and asked the US and Jamaica for help. The US agreed to help the small countries. President Reagan had approved to start operation Urgent Fury which would send troops to Grenada (Lacey). The US would have an advantage in the war and that would be new advancements in technology. One of the most useful and advanced technologies then was the night vision goggles which allowed US soldi...

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...world. Even though Mogadishu was seen as a failure and Grenada was seen as a success they both equally changed the way our world looks today and the way our military is ran.

Bibliography
"Battle Of Mogadishu - 1993." Background Information Summaries (2011): 4. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 6 Dec. 2013
Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1999. Print.
BUTLER, GLEN. "A Vital Concept Refined." Naval History 26.6 (2012): 24-31. History Reference Center. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
"Grenada, U.S. Intervention In." International Military and Defense Encyclopedia. Ed. Trevor N. Dupuy. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 1993. World History in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2013
LACEY, SHARON TOSI. "Small Island, Big Lessons." Military History 30.2 (2013): 44- 53. History Reference Center. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

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