AUSA's Noon Report - James Lechner

AUSA’s Noon Report webinar series features presentations by senior Army leaders responsible for key programs and initiatives, as well as contemporary military authors who weave together the past, present and future story of the United States Army.

AUSA’s Noon Report Webinar series invites you to join us on Thursday, 6 June 2024, at 12:00 EDT to hear a presentation by James Lechner, author of With My Shield: An Army Ranger in Somalia. In 1993, Lieutenant James Lechner, a member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was selected for a top-secret special operations task force being sent to Mogadishu, Somalia, to capture the insurgent leader Mohamed Farah Aideed. The events that ensued would later be adapted into the movie Black Hawk Down.

Speaker and Presenter Information

James Lechner, Author of With My Shield: An Army Ranger in Somalia

James Lecher is a is a 1989 graduate of The Citadel and a retired US Army Infantry Officer. Jim served in the Army for 27 years. His military career includes command and staff positions in conventional and special operations units. He has served in six wars and operational deployments to include Somalia with TASK FORCE RANGER, made famous by the book and movie “Blackhawk Down”, as well as operational tours in Sinai, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. His key leadership role with an Army brigade during successful operations in the city of Ramadi, Iraq in 2006 are recounted in the books “A Chance in Hell” and “A Soldier’s Dream”. The movie “American Sniper” depicts some of the dramatic aspects of this critical battle during the war.

In addition to deployments in support of combat operations, he has served at the national policy level, to include advising the National Security Council at the White House and numerous tours at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He holds a Masters degree in History and teaches US History as an Adjunct Professor at Liberty University.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 Jim joined Newsmax and became a war correspondent. He has covered almost every major battle from the ground in Ukraine and continues to serve there as a military advisor.