Local Black Hawk pilot shares his life story

HUNTERSVILLE - Humbled by life's many experiences, a man of faith and a hero to those who cherish freedom, spoke Sunday at church here about the importance of following a Godly path, especially in an era of danger and deception around every corner.

"I'm not a theologian, not a professional speaker and I have a post-graduate degree from the school of hard-knocks," said Jeff Niklaus, 48, a graduate of Hughesville High School's Class of 1979 who participated in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, which was made popular by the Academy Award-winning film Black Hawk Down.

Immediately before his presentation at Bible Baptist Church of Huntersville, Niklaus showed a clip of Black Hawk Down, a 2001 war film based on a battle fought on Oct. 3-4, 1993.

The movie featured Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom, among other actors.

Though Niklaus was not named in the film, he was the pilot who dropped off Sgt. Matt Eversmann, one of the main characters.

After showing a clip of the action-packed movie and heart-wrenching scene of American aircraft shot down, Niklaus focused his talk on three lessons applicable to life based on his personal experiences in the military and his relationship with God and his son, Jesus Christ.

As a 13-year-old Boy Scout on a camporee at Parris Island, Nicklaus said he got to sit in a Marine Corps Cobra AH-1 attack helicopter. That was the moment he determined to become a helicopter pilot.

After graduating from high school, Niklaus pursued college studies and played collegiate baseball. After a stint working on an oil rig in Texas, he chose a similar path to his father, who retired from the Air Force, when he joined the Army to fly helicopters.

Accepted into the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, he soon was flying the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Interspersed in his discussion were three key phrases: "Never underestimate your enemy, be prepared with a back-up plan and be careful what you wish for, you might get it."

In August 1993, Niklaus was deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger. He was pilot in command of call sign Super 67, an MH-60 Black Hawk used for the Ranger blocking force during the operation.

"Did you know that Oct. 3 is a national holiday in Somalia," he said to the congregation, many shaking their heads in surprise.

"Never underestimate your enemy," he said, describing the American forces and government at the time as "too smug." It was not without planning, he said. The team trained 20 hours for every hour of flight in the operation, he said. But, he said, leadership never expected a rag-tag group of Somali fighters, heavily armed with AK-47s and anti-aircraft weapons.

Niklaus said he considered it a mistake when the operation's forces did not finish what began as a humanitarian mission to feed starving people and dissolved in combat. "That's true in life," he said. "If you don't finish the mission, it's going to haunt you."

He believed, as do numerous authors and ex-military personnel, that the withdrawal in Somalia emboldened the radical Muslim community to join Jihad, or the war to convert or kill all non-Muslims, and gave world powers such as China cause to believe they can have first-strike capabilities without a comparable response.

The al-Qaida was there, he said, indicating they had trained fighters to use rocket-propelled grenades to shoot down American aircraft.

Niklaus quoted I Peter: 5-8: "Be sober and vigilant because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."

Niklaus said society, church and schools today battle what he called weapons of mass distraction and spiritual warfare.

He cited recent events in San Diego, where a woman could not hold Bible study in her home and the sinful use of technology, including pornography and gambling on the Internet, as examples where repentance is called for.

He also said the denominational battles in churches must end and called for people to put aside differences and come together to worship God.

As for not being prepared, Niklaus said one aspect of the mission in Mogadishu was to bring Mohammed Farid Adid, a warlord in cahoots with terror networks and al-Qaida, to justice. But the mission team didn't have enough reserves in place, adequate medical supplies and vehicles prepared. The team was behind the curve and became reactive instead of proactive, he said.

Niklaus said it was a lesson he learned in life and how he became what he called "Semper Gumby," or "Always flexible," he said, to laughter.

A final lesson, related to asking for what one might receive, took longer for him to realize. Niklaus said while he was a belligerent pilot, it took 14 years of "roller coaster spirituality" and "compromises" before God straightened him out.

"I'm still learning," he said. "God is a gentleman. He is patient. But we don't know how long we have."

He called on those in the audience to repent and turn their back on the world and follow Christ and examples of Godly men and women in the Bible.

Today, Niklaus continues to serve with his knowledge of flight.

He is part of the medical helicopter service LifeFlight, for Geisinger Medical Center. He said he is planning to get married soon and believes that God is faithful to those who call on Him.

"I am blessed more than I deserve to be," he said. "Learn from these lessons," he said and turn to the one true God. "Don't make the same mistakes I did."