Mike Durant – Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story of Gary Gordon & Randy Shughart | SRS #259
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Survival, Sacrifice, and Strategy: Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant on Mogadishu and SOAR Development
Gain insight into the elite development of the 160th SOAR and the minute-by-minute decision-making required to survive captivity after being shot down in the Battle of Mogadishu.
Short Summary
- Document the technical evolution of the Black Hawk from medevac support to the Armed Black Hawk (DAP).
- Detail the extreme physical trauma, survival mindset, and subsequent recovery following capture in Somalia.
- Highlight critical leadership decisions regarding resource allocation that directly impacted casualty rates in Operation Gothic Serpent.
Durant details his path from enlisted Spanish intercept operator to Master Black Hawk pilot in the elite 160th SOAR. He provides detailed, first-hand accounts of advanced combat maneuvers during Operations Just Cause and Desert Storm, contrasting them sharply with the challenges faced during the mission in Mogadishu. He emphasizes the absolute necessity of incremental focus ("one step forward") during overwhelming adversity.
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Top Comments (10)
After Mike Durant was shot down, I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft on the Naval Hawk Final Assembly Line on a Friday, I was rushed into the hanger with a team of Sikorsky workers to add MODS to 10 UH-60 Blackhawks from the 10th Mountain Division from Ft. Drum, NY which were leaving on Monday morning. We couldn’t go home, and stayed on for three days until all these aircraft were completed. My job was to wire up all the extended wing’s for external fuel tanks and Hellfire Missiles. Also was taking all the control panels out of the Center Console, remove all the faceplates and putting Saran Wrap under the faceplates because the sand in Somalia was like a powder and getting into the control panels and putting all the faceplates back on the control panels. The mechanics were putting Kevlar plates on the floors and cargo nets behind the pilots seats. All of us completed the mission of completing all these aircraft by Monday morning.
Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart held off 300 to 400 Somali fighters who were trying to get to the crash site. Until now, I never knew they killed 27 of them in 17 minutes before they were ultimately overrun and killed. Absolutely incredible men.
The story of Gordon and Shughart needs to be told as many times as possible. Thanks Shawn
I had the privilege of meeting Mike Durant in 2003 at Ft Bragg and got a signed copy of his book "In the Company of Heroes". As a fellow Blackhawk pilot it was a true honor.
Never forget the sacrifice of Mst Sgt Gary Gordon and Sgt1st class Randy Shughart who gave all for their brothers. Both got the MOH posthumously. Semper Fi 🇺🇸
Mike durant, we wont leave you behind.... comes to my mind
I personally learned about the battle in Mogadishu because of the movie Black Hawk Down as a young gal and was always deeply affected by what Gordon and Shughart did. To this day, I always get teary eyed. To watch Durant recount and reflect so personally in an unedited interview is an absolute honor to witness. This story needs to be told over and over again. Thank you so much for your service and for leading the way for so many.
Knowing when to not interrupt is a fundamental problem with mainstream media as listening is a artform ! Listening to this has been a honour and thank you Shawn for providing the platform.
I was a teacher at Northwest High School in Clarksville, TN at the time. We all knew when those men were deployed & the effect on our students. I had a student named Martin Cleveland Jr who happened to live directly behind me- his father was Crew Chief with CW4 Durant. I’ll never forget the grief and anger that fell on the Ft Campbell community. My husband worked with Durant in the flight simulators & I had the absolute honor of meeting him and some of the survivors- all warriors and heroes.❤️🇺🇸 NSDQ 🇺🇸SOAR🇺🇸 160th Nightstalkers 🇺🇸
Thank you CW4 Mike Durant for sharing your story. Thank you Shawn for having him as a guest. As a 18 year old young man, I was working a well paying job with a future in the company and then this happened. I was born to serve and knew I would since a very young age. Money at the time was the draw. The day after this, I reached out to a recruiter and joined the U.S. Army on October 18, 1993. Full well knowing the failures and decisions made at the top, the calling was too strong. I listened to every word in this episode and again thank you for this one. It hits home as SFC Shughart and MSG Gordon are heroes of mine and will always be. Mike is as well, thank you for your sacrifice, hero.
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Top Comments (10)
After Mike Durant was shot down, I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft on the Naval Hawk Final Assembly Line on a Friday, I was rushed into the hanger with a team of Sikorsky workers to add MODS to 10 UH-60 Blackhawks from the 10th Mountain Division from Ft. Drum, NY which were leaving on Monday morning. We couldn’t go home, and stayed on for three days until all these aircraft were completed. My job was to wire up all the extended wing’s for external fuel tanks and Hellfire Missiles. Also was taking all the control panels out of the Center Console, remove all the faceplates and putting Saran Wrap under the faceplates because the sand in Somalia was like a powder and getting into the control panels and putting all the faceplates back on the control panels. The mechanics were putting Kevlar plates on the floors and cargo nets behind the pilots seats. All of us completed the mission of completing all these aircraft by Monday morning.
Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart held off 300 to 400 Somali fighters who were trying to get to the crash site. Until now, I never knew they killed 27 of them in 17 minutes before they were ultimately overrun and killed. Absolutely incredible men.
The story of Gordon and Shughart needs to be told as many times as possible. Thanks Shawn
I had the privilege of meeting Mike Durant in 2003 at Ft Bragg and got a signed copy of his book "In the Company of Heroes". As a fellow Blackhawk pilot it was a true honor.
Never forget the sacrifice of Mst Sgt Gary Gordon and Sgt1st class Randy Shughart who gave all for their brothers. Both got the MOH posthumously. Semper Fi 🇺🇸
Mike durant, we wont leave you behind.... comes to my mind
I personally learned about the battle in Mogadishu because of the movie Black Hawk Down as a young gal and was always deeply affected by what Gordon and Shughart did. To this day, I always get teary eyed. To watch Durant recount and reflect so personally in an unedited interview is an absolute honor to witness. This story needs to be told over and over again. Thank you so much for your service and for leading the way for so many.
Knowing when to not interrupt is a fundamental problem with mainstream media as listening is a artform ! Listening to this has been a honour and thank you Shawn for providing the platform.
I was a teacher at Northwest High School in Clarksville, TN at the time. We all knew when those men were deployed & the effect on our students. I had a student named Martin Cleveland Jr who happened to live directly behind me- his father was Crew Chief with CW4 Durant. I’ll never forget the grief and anger that fell on the Ft Campbell community. My husband worked with Durant in the flight simulators & I had the absolute honor of meeting him and some of the survivors- all warriors and heroes.❤️🇺🇸 NSDQ 🇺🇸SOAR🇺🇸 160th Nightstalkers 🇺🇸
Thank you CW4 Mike Durant for sharing your story. Thank you Shawn for having him as a guest. As a 18 year old young man, I was working a well paying job with a future in the company and then this happened. I was born to serve and knew I would since a very young age. Money at the time was the draw. The day after this, I reached out to a recruiter and joined the U.S. Army on October 18, 1993. Full well knowing the failures and decisions made at the top, the calling was too strong. I listened to every word in this episode and again thank you for this one. It hits home as SFC Shughart and MSG Gordon are heroes of mine and will always be. Mike is as well, thank you for your sacrifice, hero.