In the Company of Heroes

Helicopter pilot from the Mogadishu shoot down credits 5th Group Green Beret Colonel Nick Rowe for his SERE (Survival School Training) which allowed him to survive being taken prisoner by the Muslim terrorists in Somalia. Rowe himself was a Vietnam POW and escapee and wrote an excellent memoir of his time in Vietnam. The best part of this book is his crash landing which he survived, others did not, and the arrival of posthumously awarded Medal of Honor Green Beret winners Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart. The number of kills they had was unknown since they were shooting from their own helicopter while in the air and then on the ground to rescue the flight crew of Durant's chopper. Durant says that Shughart alone had 25 Kills just around show more the downed helicopter before he was killed. I thought this was good but not great writing. show less

This a non-fiction work by Michael Durant and Steven Hartov. It shows the struggles and hardships Of
Michael Durant who was a pilot for the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment). Durant was the Blackhawk pilot who was a POW of the Somalians in Operation Gothic Serpent or the Battle Of Mogadishu. This is his story of how he became a pilot for the Army and how he transferred into special operations flying. He tells of the challenges of the 11 days of Somalian captivity and how he was Rescued.

In the movie Black Hawk Down it is shown as Durant as injured which is true, his femur had a compound fracture and his spine was broken. Also, it portrays two Delta operatives Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon who are real people who saved his show more life. The book explains plenty of things the movie glosses over like how he was carried across the streets of Mogadishu and how a woman tried to rip off his testicles until a man had to hold her back or the screams of Somalians yelling "Ranger! Ranger! You Die Somalia" when a man found his badge for the Task Force Ranger compound. There is one detail in the book he tries to deny but he finally admits is when he was clubbed with something that him unconscious for the first he remember being clubbed by an arm. show less

The story of Michael J Durant, the pilot of one of two helicopters that crashed in the middle of Mogadishu in 1993 during a major battle between Special Ops troops(Rangers, Delta, 176th night stalkers). Durant surived while to Delta Force sergeants who came to rescue him were killed. Excellent story of courage by a highly trained warrior.

What a story, not just of the compelling Blackhawk Down and captivity portion, but of the other aspects of Durant's carer as a Nightstalker.

interesting and well written