29 Facts About Michael Durant

Michael John Durant was born on July 23,1961 and is an American veteran, former pilot, businessman, author, and political candidate.

Michael Durant was involved in the "Black Hawk Down" incident while serving as a US Army pilot, and ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for the 2022 United States Senate election in Alabama.

Michael Durant retired from the US Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 Blackhawk helicopter Master Aviator in the 160th SOAR after participating in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause, and Desert Storm, and Gothic Serpent, in which he was held prisoner for 11 days in 1993 after a raid in Somalia.

Michael Durant became politically active as a member of the Republican Party.

Michael Durant was born on July 23,1961, in Berlin, New Hampshire, the son of Leon Michael Durant and Louise.

Michael Durant enlisted in the US Army in August 1979; after completing basic training, he attended the Defense Language Institute.

Michael Durant was assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Group at Fort Clayton in Panama as a Spanish voice intercept operator.

In November 1983, Michael Durant was promoted to Warrant Officer 1, following completion of the UH-60 Black Hawk Aviators Qualification Course, and was assigned to the 377th Medical Evacuation Company in Seoul, South Korea.

Michael Durant flew over 150 medical evacuation missions in the UH-1 and UH-60 helicopters by 1985.

Michael Durant later moved to the 101st Aviation Battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Michael Durant joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment on August 1,1988.

Michael Durant participated in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause and Operation Desert Storm, where he was the first US helicopter pilot to shoot at a SCUD missile launcher.

Michael Durant suffered a crushed vertebra in his back and a compound fracture of his left femur.

All three volunteered for insertion onto the ground to protect the crew and join Michael Durant in fighting off the advancing Somalis, although Halling took over the Blackhawk's minigun after a crew chief was injured before permission was granted and only Gordon and Shugart were inserted.

Michael Durant retired from the Army in 2001 with more than 3,700 flight hours, over 1,400 of which were flown with night vision goggles.

Michael Durant spoke extensively with actor Ron Eldard, who portrayed him in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, which depicts the events of the raid.

In 2003, Michael Durant published a book, In the Company of Heroes, in which he chronicled his military career and his captivity.

In December 2021, after the launch of his campaign for the US Senate, Michael Durant turned over control of Pinnacle Solutions to its employees via an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

In July 2008, Michael 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.

Michael Durant said he thought this was inappropriate for a potential commander in chief.

In 2011, Michael Durant gave a speech to the US 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 US cities.

Michael Durant officially launched a campaign for the office on October 19,2021, running to replace retiring incumbent senator Richard Shelby in 2022.

Michael Durant was supported by the More Perfect Union political action committee, which supports the formation of a caucus of centrist senators.

That same month, Michael 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.

Michael Durant's campaign did not agree to participate in these debates, and declined to comment when asked about the debates.

Michael Durant broke the silence on the debates on April 21,2022, stating that he was open to debating but cited scheduling issues with his own campaign schedule.

Michael Durant was the subject of multiple negative attack ads that contributed to a rising unfavorable rating among voters in polls.

Michael Durant stated that his campaign would be his last foray into politics, blaming his loss on "blatant" untrue attack ads.

Michael Durant's previous marriage to his first wife, Lorrie, ended in divorce; Michael Durant later stated that his handling of the media attention he received in the wake of the "Black Hawk Down" incident "probably was a contributing factor" to the divorce.