Mike Durant
Michael J. Durant (born July 23, 1961 in Berlin, New Hampshire) is defense contractor, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, and a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat left open by the retirement of Richard Shelby in the 2022 Alabama Republican primary. He is best known as the sole survivor of the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident during "Operation Gothic Serpent" in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Following his retirement from the military in 2001, Durant published a memoir detailing his experiences, became involved in public speaking engagements and founded an engineering company in Huntsville.
Early life and military training
Durant was born on July 23, 1961, in Berlin, New Hampshire, the son of Army National Guard sergeant Leon Durant and Louise Boucher. He became interested in becoming a helicopter pilot through the influence of a friend of his father's.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1979 and, after completing basic training, attended the Defense Language Institute. He was assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Group at Fort Clayton, Panama as a Spanish voice intercept operator. He later finished helicopter flight training at Fort Rucker in Alabama.
In November 1983, Durant completed the UH-60 Blackhawk Aviators Qualification Course, and was assigned to the 377th Medical Evacuation Company in Seoul, South Korea with the rank of Warrant Officer 1. He flew more than 150 medical evacuation missions over the next two years there.
In 1985 Durant was assigned to the 101st Aviation Battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) in 1988. He participated in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause and Desert Storm, where he was the first U.S. helicopter pilot to shoot at a SCUD missile launcher.
During Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, Durant was the pilot of helicopter "Super Six Four". During the Battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993 the tail of his helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, causing it to crash, injuring him and his crew. Delta Force snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart volunteered to secure the crash site from hostile Somali forces, but were overwhelmed and killed, as were Durant's crewmates.
Durant himself was captured and held captive by Abdullahi "Firimbi" Hassan, a physician and propaganda minister to Somali General Mohamed Farrah Aidid. After 11 days he was released to the International Committee of the Red Cross and taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. After recovering from his injuries, which included a gunshot wound to the arm suffered during his captivity, Durant rejoined his unit. He retired from the Army in 2001 with more than 3,700 flight hours recorded.
Durant's military service 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 and the Prisoner of War Medal, among others.
Business ventures and writing
Durant holds a bachelor of science in professional aeronautics (1996) and a master of business administration degree in aviation management (1997) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
After his retirement from the Army, Durant moved to Huntsville to participate in development of a new Army aircraft. During production of the 2001 feature film "Black Hawk Down", he spoke extensively with the actor who portrayed him, Ron Eldard.
Durant soon opened a Huntsville office for NLX, a Sterling, Virginia-based company that developed aviation simulators for military training. In 2003, Durant published a book, In the Company of Heroes, in which he chronicled his military career and his captivity.
NLX was acquired by Rockwell Collins of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Durant stayed with the company until 2008, when he left to launch a new firm, Pinnacle Solutions. The company grew steadily with clients which include the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and NASA, among others. By 2016 Pinnacle reported earnings of $70 million and employed more than 250 people. In December 2021, after the launch of his campaign for the U.S. Senate, Durant turned over control of Pinnacle Solutions to its employees via an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
Political career
Durant became involved in politics after his retirement from the military; as a Republican, he served on the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush in 2004 and John McCain in 2008, both times in a veterans' leadership role.
In July 2008, Durant criticized then-presidential candidate Barack Obama for having cancelled a planned trip to LRMC near Ramstein Air Base where he had intended, while in Europe, to visit American casualties of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Durant said he thought this was inappropriate for a potential commander in chief. Scott Gration, a retired two-star Air Force general who advised the Obama campaign, said in a response that Obama "did not want to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go."
In 2011, Durant gave a speech to the U.S. Army War College, during which he mentioned the opinion that "disarming the population", like what had been done in Somalia, would be "a pretty good step toward law and order" in U.S. cities. The comments re-emerged during Durant's campaign for the U.S. Senate; the campaign of primary opponent Katie Britt charged that Durant's worldview was "not conservative". Durant claimed that media outlets had mischaracterized and taken his statements out of context. In an interview with radio host Phil Williams, Durant stated, "I'm not condoning it. In fact, I'm arguing against it, that it really isn't a smart tactic – certainly not when you're outnumbered like we were there."
In September 2021, media speculation arose regarding a possible run for U.S. Senate by Durant.<ref name="YHN" /> He officially launched a campaign for the office on October 19, 2021, running to replace retiring incumbent Senator Richard Shelby in 2022. A late entry to the race, Durant positioned himself as a political outsider and supporter of former President Donald Trump, outlining an "Alabama First" campaign tour. Durant is supported by the More Perfect Union political action committee, which supports the formation of a caucus of centrist senators.
By March 2022, Durant began to lead in polls against the two major opposing candidates in the Republican primary, Shelby's former Chief of Staff Katie Britt and Representative Mo Brooks. Durant's lead expanded after Brooks was un-endorsed by Trump. That same month, Durant expressed in interviews that he believed President Joe Biden was "not rightfully elected" in the 2020 presidential election and that he would not have voted to certify the election results, as well as support for removing Biden from office.
In April 2022, the Alabama Republican Party proposed a series of televised debates between Durant, Britt and Brooks. Durant's campaign has not agreed to participate in these debates, and has declined to comment when asked about the debates. Britt, Brooks and other political analysts such as Quin Hillyer and Steve Flowers criticized Durant for an apparent refusal to debate. Brooks said that Durant "has the public policy chops of a snail", while Britt questioned if Durant had "something to hide". Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl stated that the debates were unlikely to occur without Durant's participation.
Personal life
Durant and his wife, Lisa (who is also a former Army aviator), reside in Madison. They have six children and three grandchildren. Durant's previous marriage to his first wife, Lorrie, ended in divorce; Durant later stated that the media attention he received in the wake of the "Black Hawk Down" incident was a "contributing factor" to the divorce.
Works
- Durant, Michael & Steven Hartov (2003) In the Company of Heroes. Putnam Publishing Group ISBN 0399150609
- Durant, Michael & Steven Hartov (2006) The Night Stalkers. Putnam Publishing Group ISBN 0399153926
References
- Cohen, Zachary (March 14, 2016) "Mike Durant: More than just the 'Black Hawk Down' guy" CNN.com
- Cason, Mike (October 19, 2021) "Mike Durant, Black Hawk pilot shot down in Somalia, joins Alabama Senate race." The Birmingham News
- Mikach, Joe (August 11, 2017) "Interview: Mike Durant – Founder, President & CEO, Pinnacle Solutions." Pinnacle Solutions
- Moon, Josh (October 19, 2021) "Mike Durant officially enters Alabama U.S. Senate race." Alabama Political Reporter
- "Durant begins 'Alabama First' campaign tour." (January 4, 2022) Alabama Political Reporter
- Garrison, Greg (January 18, 2022) "Senate candidate Mike Durant turns over company to employees" The Birmingham News
- Koplowitz, Howard (April 19, 2022) "Mike Durant silent on why he won't debate Alabama Senate rivals." The Birmingham News
- Flowers, Steve (April 22, 2022) "Who is Mike Durant?" Sand Mountain Reporter
- "Michael Durant" (April 22, 2022) Wikipedia - accessed April 22, 2022
- Whitmire, Kyle (May 2, 2022) "Mike Durant needs to explain what happened with his sister" The Birmingham News