Michael Durant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Durant
Durant in 2017
Personal details
Born	Michael John Durant (1961-07-23) July 23, 1961 (age 63) Berlin, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (BS, MBA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1979–2001
Rank	Chief Warrant Officer 4
Unit	101st Aviation Regiment 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
Battles/wars	Operation Prime Chance Operation Just Cause Gulf War Operation Gothic Serpent  • Battle of Mogadishu
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal (3) Prisoner of War Medal

Michael John Durant (born July 23, 1961) is an American veteran, a former pilot, a businessman, and an author. He is well-known for his role as a U.S. Army pilot in the "Black Hawk Down" incident. After his military career, he also ran for a political office.

Durant was a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers), a special helicopter unit. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, which is a high rank for a pilot. He flew Blackhawk helicopters in several combat missions. These included Prime Chance, Just Cause, and Desert Storm. He also took part in Gothic Serpent in Somalia. During this mission in 1993, he was held as a prisoner for 11 days.

After leaving the military in 2001, Durant wrote a book about his experiences. He also gave many public speeches. Later, he started an engineering company in Huntsville, Alabama. He also became active in politics as a member of the Republican Party.

Michael Durant's Early Life and Training

Michael Durant was born on July 23, 1961, in Berlin, New Hampshire. He joined the U.S. Army in August 1979. After finishing basic training, he went to the Defense Language Institute. There, he learned to understand and speak Spanish.

He was then sent to Fort Clayton in Panama. His job was to listen to and record Spanish conversations. Later, Durant completed his helicopter flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. During his flight lessons, he learned to fly the TH-55 and UH-1 helicopters.

Michael Durant's Military Service

Durant receiving the Honorable Order of St. Michael in 2001

Durant speaking to officers at Tyndall Air Force Base in 2002

In November 1983, Durant became a Warrant Officer 1. This happened after he finished a course to fly the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. He was then assigned to a medical evacuation unit in Seoul, South Korea. By 1985, Durant had flown over 150 medical missions. He used both UH-1 and UH-60 helicopters.

Later, he moved to the 101st Aviation Battalion in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. As a Chief Warrant Officer 2, he became a flight instructor. He also led air assault missions in the UH-60. On August 1, 1988, Durant joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). This unit is known as the Night Stalkers. He worked as a Flight Lead and instructor pilot. He took part in combat missions like Prime Chance, Just Cause, and Operation Desert Storm. In Desert Storm, he was the first U.S. helicopter pilot to fire at a SCUD missile launcher.

The "Black Hawk Down" Incident

During a mission called Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, Durant was piloting a helicopter named "Super Six Four.” On October 3, 1993, his helicopter was the second of two MH-60L Black Hawks to crash. This happened during the Battle of Mogadishu. His helicopter was hit in the tail by an RPG-7 rocket. It crashed about a mile southwest of the mission's target area.

Durant and his three crew members, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank, and Tommy Field, were badly hurt in the crash. Durant suffered a broken back bone and a serious leg fracture. Three Delta Force snipers, MSG Gary Gordon, SFC Randy Shughart, and MSG Brad Halling, were helping from the air. They saw hostile Somalis gathering around the crash site. Gordon and Shughart bravely volunteered to go down to the ground. They wanted to protect the crew and fight off the Somalis. Halling stayed in the helicopter to operate its minigun after another crew member was injured.

Gordon and Shughart fought many Somalis. They kept fighting until they ran out of ammunition. Soon, they were overwhelmed and killed. Cleveland, Frank, and Field also died. Both Gordon and Shughart received the Medal of Honor for their amazing bravery.

Durant was the only American survivor. Hostile Somalis captured him and held him for 11 days. During his captivity, a doctor named Abdullahi "Firimbi" Hassan protected and cared for him. Firimbi worked for Somali General Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Durant was shot in his arm by a militia member during this time. General Aidid later released Durant and a Nigerian soldier. They were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

After being freed, Durant recovered at a medical center in Germany. He then returned to flying with the 160th SOAR. He retired from the Army in 2001. He had flown over 3,700 hours, with more than 1,400 hours using night vision goggles.

Durant received many military awards for his service. These include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Bronze Star. He also received the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Michael Durant's Business and Writing Career

After retiring from the military, Durant moved to Alabama. He started giving talks to military personnel. He taught them about helicopter flying and how to rescue people in combat. Durant often shares his story about the Somalia raid and being a prisoner. He also spoke a lot with actor Ron Eldard. Eldard played Durant in the 2001 movie Black Hawk Down, which showed the events of the raid.

In 2003, Durant published a book called In the Company of Heroes. In this book, he wrote about his time in the military and his captivity.

Durant has two college degrees from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in professional aviation and a Master of Business Administration degree in aviation management. After moving to Alabama, he became the owner and CEO of Pinnacle Solutions in 2008. This company provides engineering services and is based in Huntsville, Alabama. Pinnacle Solutions works with clients like the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and NASA. In December 2021, Durant gave control of his company to his employees. This happened when he started his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Michael Durant's Political Activities

Early Political Involvement

Durant became involved in politics after he retired from the military. As a Republican, he helped with the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush in 2004 and John McCain in 2008. In both campaigns, he worked in a leadership role for veterans.

In July 2008, Durant spoke out against then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama had canceled a visit to a military hospital in Germany. He had planned to visit American soldiers injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Durant felt this was not appropriate for someone who wanted to be commander in chief. A retired Air Force general, Scott Gration, who advised Obama, said that Obama did not want the visit to seem like a campaign event. Obama wanted to show his appreciation for the troops.

In 2011, Durant gave a speech at the United States Army War College. He mentioned that "disarming the population" in places like Somalia could lead to "law and order" in cities. These comments came up again during his U.S. Senate campaign. A political opponent said Durant's views were not "conservative." Durant said that news outlets had twisted his words. He explained in an interview that he was not supporting disarming people. He was arguing against it, especially when outnumbered.

2022 U.S. Senate Campaign

In September 2021, people started talking about Durant possibly running for the U.S. Senate. He officially announced his campaign on October 19, 2021. He ran to replace Senator Richard Shelby, who was retiring in 2022. Durant joined the race late. He presented himself as an outsider in politics and a supporter of former president Donald Trump. He called his campaign an "Alabama First" tour. A political group called More Perfect Union supported Durant. This group helps senators who are more in the middle.

By March 2022, Durant started leading in polls against his main opponents. These were Katie Britt and Representative Mo Brooks. Durant's lead grew after Trump stopped supporting Brooks. In the same month, Durant said in interviews that he believed President Joe Biden was "not rightfully elected" in the 2020 presidential election. He also said he would not have voted to confirm the election results. He supported removing Biden from office.

In April 2022, the Alabama Republican Party suggested holding televised debates. These debates would be between Durant, Britt, and Brooks. Durant's campaign did not agree to take part in these debates. They also refused to comment when asked about them. Britt, Brooks, and other political experts criticized Durant for not wanting to debate. Brooks said Durant "has the public policy chops of a snail." Britt wondered if Durant had "something to hide." The head of the Alabama Republican Party said the debates probably would not happen without Durant. Durant finally spoke about the debates on April 21, 2022. He said he was open to debating but had scheduling problems. He officially declined the proposed debate dates later that month, stopping the plans for the debates.

Durant started to lose support in polls around May, just weeks before the primary election. He was the target of many negative ads. These ads made voters view him less favorably. There was also talk that Durant did not actually live in Alabama. The New York Times called this a "false claim." Durant's views on immigration also got attention before the primary. He said in a radio interview that more legal immigration was "America First." He also claimed he was "the toughest on illegal immigration." On the night of the primary election, May 24, Durant admitted he lost. The results showed him in third place behind Britt and Brooks.

Some people thought Durant would support Brooks after losing. However, in June, Durant officially decided not to support Brooks or Britt. He criticized the political process and the two remaining candidates. Durant also said that this campaign would be his last time in politics. He blamed his loss on "blatant" untrue attack ads.

Michael Durant's Personal Life

Durant and his wife, Lisa, live in Madison, Alabama. Lisa is also a former Army aviator. They have six children and three grandchildren. Durant's first marriage ended in divorce. He later said that how he handled the media attention after the "Black Hawk Down" incident "probably was a contributing factor" to the divorce.

Works

• In the Company of Heroes (2003)

Awards and Decorations

Durant has received many awards for his military service. Some of them are shown here:

See also

In Spanish: Michael Durant para niños