In the Company of Heroes

Michael Durant became the focus for these events when his Black Hawk helicopter was shot down over the city of Mogadishu. He crash-landed in enemy ground, breaking his spine and both legs. His helicopter was quickly surrounded by merciless Somali troops. After a sustained gun battle in which his co-pilot and two passengers were killed, Durant was taken captive. His battered face appeared on the cover of magazines around the globe and the horrific torture he underwent was made all too clear in his coerced statements broadcast live to the world. This is his story, in his own words.