Michael J. Durant
Michael Durant (* 23. June 1961 in Berlin , New Hampshire ) is a former American Chief Warrant Officer 4 of the US Army and served most recently as a helicopter pilot. He was shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu ( Operation Gothic Serpent , Go-Code "Irene") in 1993 in Somalia .
Life
Durant was the pilot of "Super Six Four" , an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. He was shot down by militias on October 3, 1993 over Mogadishu , the capital of Somalia. He was a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR / Night Stalkers) and was used as air support during Operation Gothic Serpent.
Super 64 was hit by an RPG . Although the Black Hawk remained stable in the air, interference occurred a few minutes later that eventually brought it down a mile southwest of the area where the ground forces were deployed.
Durant survived seriously injured. Shortly after the crash, two Delta Force soldiers , Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart , reached the scene of the accident. They defended the crash site against a growing number of Somalis, but were killed in an inferior position. For their work, Gordon and Shughart posthumously received the Medal of Honor , the highest military honor in the United States.
The Somalis captured Durant and wanted to exchange him for Somali prisoners. But before they could bring him back to their village, they were attacked by local bandits who took Durant prisoner and wanted to release him for a ransom. Durant was held in a house, interrogated and taped.
After Somali general triggered Aidid Durant, he was taken to the home of Aidid's Propaganda Minister . After five days, observers from the Red Cross and British and French journalists were allowed to see him. After eleven days, Durant was released through the intervention of former US Ambassador to Somalia, Robert Oakley.
Durant retired from the service. Today he is holding seminars on helicopter maneuvers and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) for military personnel . He also offers lectures on the Somalia mission and his experiences in captivity. He gave an extensive interview to Ron Eldard , who played him in the film Black Hawk Down .
He wrote the book In the Company of Heroes about the events .
literature
- Michael Durant & Steven Hartov:
- In the Company of Heroes. Putnam Pub Group, ISBN 0451219937 .
- The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of the US Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Putnam Pub Group, ISBN 0451222911 .
Web links
- Kurzbiografie (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Durant, Michael J. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American helicopter pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 23, 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin , New Hampshire |