Subjects:
1. Purpose. To understand specific historical aspects of the United States Army and also to read and learn first hand one mans story of overcoming adversity and staying true to his country.
a. If you have seen the movie Black Hawk Down then there is no doubt that you know who Michael Durant is. Michael J. Durant was a chief warrant officer who flew black hawk helicopters and was shot down in the United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Somalia during 1993. It was during a snatch and grab mission, Operation Gothic Serpent, where Durant and his crew were to extract suspected members of the Habr Gidr Clan that his helicopter was shot down. He was not killed in the crash or the hellacious firefight that ensued; he did break his back and fractured both legs. He was then loaded into the back of a pick up truck and held prisoner of the warlord Mohammed Aidid, a man who used starvation of children as a political tool, for ten days being given only aspirin for his wounds. Durant refused to be a v
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(1) “Loyalty” Bear true faith and allegiance to the U. ictim and the book tells about his unforgettable experience that he had while in captivity and what he had to do to overcome his adversity. I will list a few characteristics that Michael Durant demonstrated during his time in Somalia. He stayed loyal to his fellow comrades and went above and beyond his call of duty all while demonstrating selfless service and refusing to comply with war lords. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other soldiers. I think that reading someone first hand story about an event in the past really recreates the event in the readers mind and drives home a lot of important lessons. Durant was both physically and mentally tough and he showed that during his ordeal. I think that this value stands out particularly strong in this story for obvious reasons. The book tell a lot about some events leading up to this event and what sort of things a pilot would experience daily during this time period which I also found very informative and interesting.
(3) “Personal Courage” Face fear, danger or adversity. Then you are held captive for ten days and warlords still can’t break you mentally. The Army has identified 23 leadership dimensions to measure leadership potential, Durant definitely excelled in all of these dimensions through both his mission and capture.
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