Michael Durant
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Mike Durant speaking at Tyndall Air Force Base in November 2002 |
Michael 'Mike' J. Durant (born
July 23,
1961) is the
American pilot who was held prisoner after a
raid in
Mogadishu,
Somalia on
October 3,
1993. Durant is a native of
Berlin,
New Hampshire, and served in the
United States Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) as a
Chief Warrant Officer 3. He retired from the Army as a CW4 Blackhawk helicopter master aviator in the 160th SOAR after participating in combat operations
Prime Chance,
Just Cause,
Desert Storm, and
Gothic Serpent. His awards include the
Distinguished Service Medal,
Distinguished Flying Cross with
Oak Leaf Cluster,
Bronze Star with
Valor Device,
Purple Heart,
Meritorious Service Medal, three
Air Medals,
POW/MIA ribbon, and numerous others. He and his wife Lisa have five children.
Durant was the pilot of
Super Six four, the second
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to crash during the
Battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. The helicopter was hit by a
rocket propelled grenade, and, although the aircraft remained stable at first, a few minutes later it began to malfunction, which led to its crash about a mile southwest of the raid's target.
Durant was badly injured, but survived the crash. Shortly after the crash, two
Delta Force soldiers,
MSG Gary Gordon and
SFC Randy Shughart, arrived and fought off the advancing Somalis but were eventually shot and killed. Both Gordon and Shughart received the
Medal of Honor posthumously for this action. The Somalis captured Durant and held him for eleven days before his release.
Durant is retired from the military. He now offers seminars to military personnel about helicopter maneuvering and
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operations.
Durant also offers talks about the Somalia raid and the experiences he had in captivity. He personally offered an extensive interview to actor
Ron Eldard, who portrayed Durant in the movie
Black Hawk Down, which chronicles the events of the raid.
In
2003, Durant published a book titled
In The Company of Heroes in which he chronicles his military career and his captivity.
Durant was a member of the Bush-Cheney '04 Veterans Team.
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