<Li> Battle of Mogadishu </Li> <Tr> <Th> Awards </Th> <Td> Legion of Merit Bronze Star (4) Purple Heart Defense Distinguished Service Medal Air Medal Meritorious Service Medal (3) </Td> </Tr> <P> William F. "Bill" Garrison (born June 27, 1944) is a retired United States Army general officer who was the commander of Operation Gothic Serpent, the military operation launched in 1993 to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid . </P> <P> Born in Mineral Wells, Texas on June 27 1944, Garrison enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966 after graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pan American University . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from Officer Candidate School the following year . He served two tours in the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat . While in Vietnam, he participated in the Phoenix Program . Phoenix was an initiative of the CIA and the South Vietnamese Army to capture, convert, or assassinate leaders within the Viet Cong guerrilla command structure . In 1974, he received his Master of Business Administration degree from Sam Houston State University . </P>

Who commanded somali forces at the battle of mogadishu