Key Takeaways
- Mike Durant's diverse military career spanned Panama, Desert Storm, and the intense Battle of Mogadishu.
- He survived his Black Hawk being shot down in Somalia and endured 11 days as a prisoner of war.
- Durant criticizes political decisions and lack of accountability regarding military operations and troop support.
- After military retirement, he founded a defense contracting firm and ran for U.S. Senate, encountering political challenges.
- Durant actively supports the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, providing educational aid to military families.
Deep Dive
- Durant grew up in a small, blue-collar paper mill town in New Hampshire, struggling with high school motivation.
- Inspired by a helicopter flight over Mount Washington, he pursued a pilot career in the Army.
- He attended the Defense Language Institute for Spanish voice intercept, later regretting a Panama intelligence assignment for missing helicopter observations.
- Durant joined the elite 160th SOAR in 1988, later deploying to Operation Prime Chance in the Persian Gulf.
- Missions involved defending oil tankers and engaging Iranian boats in challenging sandstorm conditions, often with near-zero visibility.
- Pilots used early night vision goggles and radar altimeters to land on small, non-helicopter-designed oil platforms.
- In 1989, Operation Just Cause involved simultaneous attacks on 26 targets, including the first F-117 use.
- Durant's unit supported Rangers by establishing a forward area refueling and rearming point (FARP) in combat.
- They encountered an active anti-aircraft gun on an airfield, which was not neutralized by their Black Hawk or Apaches.
- In Desert Storm, Durant's unit deployed to Western Iraq to neutralize Scud missile launchers, preventing Israel's intervention.
- Flying a DAP (attack) Black Hawk, Durant escorted Chinooks delivering Delta forces.
- During one mission, his helicopter's weapon system malfunctioned repeatedly, preventing rocket fire at a Scud launcher.
- U.S. military intervention in Somalia began in December 1992 for security, but shifted to nation-building under the Clinton administration.
- Local clan control and public support for figures like Adid influenced opposition to change.
- President Clinton rejected an initial plan to capture Adid due to a reported 25% chance of success.
- A mission to capture target Osman Otto was conducted in daylight, encountering RPG fire.
- Despite missing Otto, eight of his associates were captured; the ground force extracted from an alternate location without fire.
- A subsequent attempt disabled a target's vehicle, but he escaped into a building before Delta forces apprehended him.
- After Durant's helicopter crashed, Delta Force soldiers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart persisted for authorization to land and rescue.
- Durant recalls hearing Gary say he was hit during the intense combat at Crash Site 2.
- Randy retrieved two M16s after Gary was severely incapacitated, making a final stand against approaching Somalis.
- Durant received minimal sustenance (banana, water, old MRE) and contemplated resistance based on SERE training.
- During interrogation, he provided vague information about his rank, prolonging the process and buying time.
- A CNN cameraman filmed the interrogation, with captors interested in political statements, not military details.