When they think of American involvement in Somalia, many people remember “Black Hawk Down.” But for every such incident, there are hundreds of other stories waiting to be told.

In the early ’90s, Sgt. Ryan Jackson served with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division during the relief effort in Somalia. After one mission, his unit’s convoy headed to Mogadishu. The landscape varied drastically from the desert, with rows of crops to jungle terrain in the river delta. It was monsoon season, and the convoy pulled out of the delta under the scorching sun. Six hours later, they knew they wouldn’t reach Mogadishu before dark. Air support had been called away for another mission. The convoy pulled off the main road into the empty desert and circled for the night. The men hastily dug fighting positions.