Safeguard Palm Beach hosts Battle of Mogadishu veteran to kick off Breakfast Series
Safeguard Palm Beach launched its season Monday by kicking off its Breakfast Series at The Colony.
Safeguard previously was the Palm Beach Crime Watch division of the the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation, which announced the name change this month.
Featured speaker was retired Army 1st Sgt. Matt Eversmann, a veteran of the Iraq War, and the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu during Operation Gothic Serpent, which was made famous by the book and film “Black Hawk Down.”
Related: Palm Beach Crime Watch is now Safeguard Palm Beach after rebranding
Eversmann used Operation Gothic Serpent to illustrate the similarities between people in the military, the police force and fire rescue.
“I feel like there’s a lot of commonalities which you might expect from these type of men and women who are drawn to danger, they run to the gun shots,” said Eversmann. “What I’d like to do is to share from my experience as a soldier what makes people do the things we say is very brave.”
Selfless service is the driving force for the men and women who serve, Eversmann said, noting that “they put the needs of others first."
He noted that the night before the battle of Mogadishu, he realized that his ultimate purpose as a soldier was to protect others.
He praised the young soldiers under his command who did not flinch in the face of daunting odds.
“I see courage as doing your job when you’re scared,” he said, citing another trait that is shared by folks in the military, police force and fire services.
Finally, he highlighted the role of duty, which he said simply was fulfilling your obligation.
As an example of the epitome of duty, Eversmann detailed the sacrifice of Delta Force Snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, who gave their lives protecting Mike Durant, a crew member of a helicopter shot down during the battle.
"They were average guys that did an extraordinary thing, because in the end it was their duty," said Eversmann.
Eversmann called for recognition of the civilian and military departments that work daily to protect the people they serve.
“People say 'thank you for your service' to soldiers all the time,” said Eversmann. “But we got to start saying to our police officers and firemen, thank you for your service, because that’s what they do, and that’s what they deserve.”
Also speaking at Monday's event were Thomas C. Quick, chairman and CEO of Safeguard Palm Beach, and John Scarpa, CEO, chairman and co-founder of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Safeguard Palm Beach hosts Battle of Mogadishu veteran
