Editing Michael Durant (section)

{{Short description|American pilot & politician (born 1961)}}
{{About||people of the same name|Michael Durant (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox politician
| name                = Michael Durant
| image               = File:Michael Durant delivers a professional development seminar at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey (cropped).jpg
| birth_name          = Michael John Durant
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1961|7|23}}
| birth_place         = [[Berlin, New Hampshire]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education           = [[Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]], [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]])
| allegiance          = {{flag|United States}}
| branch              = {{army|United States}}
| serviceyears        = 1979–2001
| rank                = [[Chief Warrant Officer 4]]
| unit                = [[101st Aviation Regiment]]<br/>[[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]]
| battles             = [[Operation Prime Chance]]<br>[[Operation Just Cause]]<br>[[Gulf War]]<br>[[Operation Gothic Serpent]]<br>{{*}}[[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]]
| mawards             = [[Army Distinguished Service Medal]]<br>[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] (3)<br>[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]]<br>[[Purple Heart]]<br>[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]<br>[[Air Medal]] (3)<br>[[Prisoner of War Medal]]
| caption             = Durant in 2017
}}
'''Michael John Durant'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/08c5cba4e99247249625503de742e950|title=Pentagon has protocol for returned captives|last=Burns|first=Robert|work=[[Associated Press]]|date=June 6, 2014|accessdate=March 31, 2022|archive-date=April 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401035331/https://apnews.com/article/08c5cba4e99247249625503de742e950|url-status=live}}</ref> (born July 23, 1961) is an American veteran, former pilot, businessman, author, and political candidate. He was involved in the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|"Black Hawk Down" incident]] while serving as a [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] pilot,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alreporter.com/2021/10/19/a-late-entry-in-the-u-s-senate-race/|title=Mike Durant officially enters Alabama U.S. Senate race|last=Moon|first=Josh|work=Alabama Political Reporter|date=October 19, 2021|accessdate=March 31, 2022|archive-date=April 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401035331/https://www.alreporter.com/2021/10/19/a-late-entry-in-the-u-s-senate-race/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ran unsuccessfully in the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary for the [[2022 United States Senate election in Alabama]].

Durant was a member of the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]] (Night Stalkers) as a [[Warrant Officer (United States)|Chief Warrant Officer 3]]. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 [[Black Hawk helicopter|Blackhawk helicopter]] Master Aviator in the 160th SOAR after participating in combat operations [[Operation Prime Chance|Prime Chance]], [[Operation Just Cause|Just Cause]], and [[Gulf War|Desert Storm]], and also [[Operation Gothic Serpent|Gothic Serpent]], in which he was held [[Prisoner of war|prisoner]] for 11 days in 1993 after a [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|raid]] in [[Somalia]].

Following his retirement from the military in 2001, Durant published a book detailing his experiences, was involved in public speaking engagements and founded an engineering company in [[Huntsville, Alabama]]. He also became politically active as a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref>{{Citation |title=United States of America |date=2022 |work=The Statesman’s Yearbook 2023: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World |pages=1225–1347 |url=https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-96056-9_195 |access-date=2024-07-09 |place=London |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |language=en |doi=10.1057/978-1-349-96056-9_195 |isbn=978-1-349-96056-9|url-access=subscription }}</ref>