The Shawn Ryan Show – Episode #259

Guest: Mike Durant
Title: 160th SOAR Pilot Who Survived Black Hawk Down and 11 Days as a POW
Host: Shawn Ryan
Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Shawn Ryan sits down with Mike Durant, a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4, decorated 160th SOAR pilot, and survivor of the harrowing 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia, during which he was captured and held as a POW for 11 days. The conversation delivers a firsthand account of American special operations history spanning from Panama to Desert Storm, culminating in the brutal events of Mogadishu. Their discussion is unfiltered and raw, covering wartime innovation, leadership, loss, trauma, political betrayal, and the bonds of brotherhood. Mike shares not just the heroics and horrors experienced in combat, but also the impacts of these events on his personal life, his faith, and his ongoing missions off the battlefield.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Mike Durant’s Background & Early Career

[03:30 – 26:44]

• Origin Story:
  • Grew up in small-town New Hampshire, blue-collar family, discovered a love for aviation at 14, inspired by a neighbor who was an Army helicopter pilot.
  • “You just don’t know what you don’t know. I thought this was what every other kid was experiencing.” (15:52 – Mike Durant)
• Military Path:
  • Explanation of how he began as Army enlisted military intelligence, learned Spanish at DLI, served in Panama, then pursued aviation.
  • Facing bureaucratic hurdles, perseverance (“Recruiters lie, but I didn’t give up.”)
• Flight School & SOAR Selection:
  • Rigorous flight training, becoming “number two in the class,” which, by luck, gave him his coveted Black Hawk slot.
  • Assignment in Korea, flying intensive medevac and DMZ missions, mentoring others at a young age.

2. Joining the 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers)

[31:27 – 40:20]

• Discovery & Selection:
  • Discovers the 160th’s existence over drinks, describes early clandestine vibe.
  • Details “Green Platoon”—the initial selection/training pipeline for SOAR, challenges, and culture.
• Culture & Camaraderie:
  • Competitive, tight-knit atmosphere: “Our sole focus was meeting or exceeding the customer’s expectations. We would do anything to fill that need.” (55:58 – Mike Durant)

3. Pioneering Special Ops Aviation Tactics & Combat Deployments

[42:15 – 112:11]

• Operation Prime Chance & Panama:

  • Early SOAR deployments: Learning to fly with miniguns and new tactics in extreme environments (Persian Gulf, Panama, and live-assault operations).
  • Development of the Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) Black Hawk, innovating gunships from scratch with Cliff Walcott (“We’re handwriting this stuff...I went to Walmart for those little plastic templates.” 61:16 – Mike Durant)

• Combat Stories & Close Calls:

  • Detailed accounts of flying under fire, gun malfunctions, and dangerous mishaps, including narrowly avoiding catastrophic crashes.
  • “You could be a name on the wall in a second. Sometimes it’s not skill, it’s fate or luck.” (78:51 – Mike Durant)

• Gulf War (Desert Storm) & Beyond:

  • Missions escorting Delta Force, failed rescue operations, and laying down “the first rounds in anger” with new DAP gunships.

4. Black Hawk Down: Mogadishu, Somalia

[116:10 – 253:09]

• Context & Lead-up:

  • Detailed breakdown of U.S. and UN involvement, policy failures, lack of critical support due to political posturing.
  • “There are three things that we got screwed over on: denied a carrier, denied AC-130s, denied armored support. Every single one would have saved lives.” (154:01 – Mike Durant)

• October 3, 1993 – The Operation:

  • Step-by-step account of the operation, initial successes, chaos as first Black Hawk goes down, escalation, mistakes, and the “death sentence” of being forced into a daytime, urban combat environment without adequate support.
  • “We all knew the risks. No, I wasn't comfortable. But I wanted to go. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be in the unit.” (160:27 – Mike Durant)

• Shot Down & Survival:

  • Vivid retelling of the crash: the RPG strike (“It felt like a speed bump at 40 mph… we started to spin…”) and his severe injuries (“My right femur snapped in two… my vertebra crushed…”).
  • Being rescued by Delta snipers Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon (“They are the only reason I am here,” and both awarded Medals of Honor posthumously).

• POW Ordeal:

  • Beaten and paraded through the streets (“Initially, they were going to beat me to death… they hit me with someone’s arm. It broke my nose, my cheekbone, my eye socket.” 197:18 – Mike Durant)
  • “I left my body. The pain went away. It only lasted a few seconds, and then I was back. There’s a scientific explanation for it or a spiritual one—I don’t know. But it happened.” (207:39 – Mike Durant)
  • 11 days in captivity: interrogation, resilience strategies from SERE training, keeping a coded journal hidden in his Bible, Red Cross involvement, writing letters home (“Night Stalkers Don’t Quit”).

• Release & Reflection:

  • Swap for another prisoner, immediate medical attention, and learning of the loss of close friends Cliff and Donovan.
  • Refusal to visit the White House for a photo op with President Clinton: “There’s no way I’m going for a photo op. I didn’t go.” (272:05 – Mike Durant)

• Analysis:

  • Deep criticism of political and Pentagon leadership; admiration for military team and regret over unfinished mission in Somalia.
  • “We didn’t lose that fight. We kicked the shit out of those guys… but we weren’t resourced. It is very disturbing that we go into harm's way and our hands are tied.” (251:16 – Mike Durant)

5. Coping with Loss and Finding Purpose

[253:20 – 259:54]

• Survivor’s Guilt & Grief:

  • Stories of loss (“A soldier dies twice—once when he stops breathing, and a second time the last time his name is said. We need to make sure that second time never happens.” 253:20 – Mike Durant)
  • Importance of honoring fallen friends and living positively: “Live the way they would want you to live. Hell, yeah.” (254:07 – Mike Durant)
  • Tribute to his wife, Lisa, a fellow pilot and Gold Star widow (“She’s helped me a lot. I always struggle with what to say to families, but she told me: ‘I can’t remember what anyone said, but I knew they were there.’”) (256:12 – Mike Durant)

• Spiritual Anchoring:

  • The crucial role of faith: hiding coded journal entries in a Bible, feeling the presence of loved ones, power of prayer.
  • “I wake up every day thanking the Lord and thanking Randy and Gary for their sacrifice.” (312:39 – Mike Durant)

6. Contemporary Issues: Politics & Public Life

[276:10 – 299:13]

• Netflix/Media Betrayal:
  • Disappointment and anger over the Netflix documentary’s distortion of events, erasing Medal of Honor recipients and miscasting American actions.
  • “Netflix’s ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ sucks. The villain in this story is Aideed. We were there to help feed the people. They kill our people and drag our soldiers through the streets. It’s pretty clear who the bad guys are.” (278:06 – Mike Durant)
• Senate Run & Political Corruption:
  • Durant describes being recruited to run as a Republican for U.S. Senate in Alabama, the brutal smear campaign he faced, and the realization that “it is nothing like a fair fight” due to backroom deals and super-PAC attacks.
  • “The U.S. Capitol is the most elite whorehouse on the planet… these people are overwhelmingly willing to sell their soul to get into that club.” (289:13 – Shawn Ryan)
  • Disappointment in veteran community response and the use of PTSD as a political weapon against him.

7. Mission Beyond the Battlefield: Giving Back

[299:13 – 306:51]

• Special Ops Warrior Foundation:
  • Serving on the board of a nonprofit that funds complete education (“from cradle to career”) for children of fallen special operators, including suicides and the severely wounded.
  • “I can’t think of a more worthy organization than this.” (304:22 – Mike Durant)
  • Over 2,000 kids helped; commitment for a lifetime of support.
• Other Notable Nonprofits:
  • Mentions other efforts, including Gray Bull Rescue—veterans providing disaster and crisis relief and anti-trafficking efforts.

8. Final Reflections & Recommendations

[306:51 – End]

• Living Well for the Fallen:
  • “If more of us focused on the positive, we’d be a lot happier overall.” (312:39 – Mike Durant)
• Book/Journey Recommendations:
  • Peter Attia’s “Outlive”; extreme athlete Killian Journey; Brian Stern of Gray Bull Rescue.
• Gratitude and Legacy:
  • “Just proud to have been part of it. Thankful to be alive, thankful for my family, and to carry on for those who can’t.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You don’t eat the elephant in one bite. You just find something you can do to feel good about. And ultimately, if you keep doing that, you will overcome whatever that major obstacle is, man."
  – Mike Durant [10:26]

• "If you lose a tail rotor on a Blackhawk at slow speed, you are fucked at low altitude. And that's the condition we were in."
  – Mike Durant [174:57]

• "We all knew the risks… But I wanted to go. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be in the unit."
  – Mike Durant [160:27]

• “Netflix’s ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ sucks. The villain in this story is Aideed. … It’s pretty clear who the bad guys are.”
  – Mike Durant [278:06]

• “The U.S. Capitol is the biggest, most elite whorehouse on the planet…these people are overwhelmingly willing to sell their soul to get into that club.”
  – Shawn Ryan [289:13]

• “A soldier dies two deaths, one when he stops breathing, and the second time the last name is ever said. We gotta…make sure that second time never happens.”
  – Mike Durant [253:20]

Key Timestamps & Segments

• Early Life & Aviation Calling: 14:36 – 25:41
• SOAR Green Platoon & Initial Deployments: 38:29 – 54:08
• Development of the Armed Blackhawk (DAP): 60:11 – 88:22
• Panama, Desert Storm, Close Calls: 64:21 – 112:11
• Mogadishu: Leadup: 116:10 – 135:58
• Black Hawk Down/POW Ordeal: 163:06 – 245:10
• Aftermath, Grief, Faith: 253:20 – 259:54
• Media Betrayal & Politics: 276:10 – 299:13
• Charity, Hope & Moving Forward: 299:13 – End

Tone & Style

• Language:
  Gritty, authentic, at times profane, always deeply respectful toward the fallen and the reality of combat.
• Emotion:
  Unflinching candor in recounting trauma and failure, balanced by humor, humility, gratitude, and hope.
• Perspective:
  Both historical and very personal; an emphasis on honoring the truth, the team, and the families.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is both an unvarnished oral history of modern American special operations and a powerful testimonial on the moral, physical, and political costs of war. Mike Durant’s courage in recounting his experiences—and his refusal to let politics, popular media, or his own trauma diminish the memory of his fallen friends—makes this an essential listen for anyone who cares about military service, sacrifice, or the stakes of leadership, both on the battlefield and at home. The themes that recur—preparation, perseverance, loss, brotherhood, betrayal, and hope—make for a profoundly human and historic conversation.

For more on the Special Ops Warrior Foundation:
specialops.org
Help fund education for the children of fallen special operations warriors.

“Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.” – Mike Durant