Mr Durant survived the horror of fierce battle, and for that he is a hero. I disagree with his warm comments about Henry Ross Perot, i.e. that had Perot successfully won the presidency in 1992, he would have been a more capable commander and chief during America's contribution in Somalia. It is important to remember that it was intended to be a peace keeping mission. Perot has served veterans well but his at times impulsive nature would have been to the detriment of the US had he become president. I'm NOT asserting that Clinton did a good job as commander and chief, Durant is right that tank support should have backed up the mission, and indeed it is reasonable to conclude that tank support could have saved the lives of more personnel. I can't help but wonder if Durant's crew would have survived if he hid them in the tail boon of the helicopter. However, the benefit of hindsight in a life or death situation is not a fair assessment. Yet I wish those mini guns had the A/C power they needed after the crash, as Gordon and Shughart could have possibly held the mob off completely with those. Again, wishful thinking does not change the reality of those killed in combat, but the bravery of Durant, Gordon, and Shughart is a credit to the US Armed Forces.

Nicholas R.W. Henning - Australian Author

Michael Durant does a fantastic job describing his experiences. He provides great insight into various operations and schools within the US Army. For example, he describes his missions in operations: Just Cause, Gothic Serpent, and Desert Storm. He also refers back to SERE school where he parallels what he's been taught to his real world experience.

All in all, an absolutely captivating story told with great detail.

In the Company of Heroes is a very gripping tale about Mike Durant, a helicopter pilot shot down during The Battle of Mogadishu and then taken prisoner by the enemy. He recollects his capture and chronicles every event down to the finest detail. Throughout the duration of the book, Durant sends his readers on an emotional rollercoaster, culminating in a memorable and touching ending. Durant sugarcoats virtually nothing and his ability to shine light on the excellence of his fallen comrades and fellow soldiers involved in the operation is certainly admirable. Durant is a class act and a good man, no doubt about it.

Not only does Durant give us information about The Battle of Mogadishu and his capture, he also gives us interesting recollections about his military career, from a rough experience in SERE school to a high risk mission in Panama. He manages to keep the reader's interest through these chapters, before returning to his capture.

Despite the gripping tale about Durant's time in enemy hands, as well as an interesting and informative scope on his military career, perhaps the most impressive aspect of this book is the honor Durant gives to his comrades in the military. His memories of close friends lost in Mogadishu and his description of them (particularly his friend and fellow pilot Donovan Briley) allow you an inside look on his pain and helps you understand one of the horrible drawbacks of war.

In the Company of Heroes is a great read for anyone looking for a good book, but it is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Black Hawk Down, or is looking at a career in the military, possible as a pilot. Compliments to Michael Durant and two thumbs up to this book!

This is an excellent book, but I would suggest reading Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down before reading this book so you will have more of an understanding of what went on. With this being said I commend CW4 Durant for writing this book to give us a better understanding of the terrible ordeal he went through.

You may be familiar with the story of Blackhawk Down. This is the incredible story of Michael Durant, whose helicopter was shot down over Somalia in 1993. With a broken back, compound fracture of his femur and other assorted injuries he was kept as a prisoner-of-war by warlord Mohammed Aidid. A fascinating story of thought and emotion of someone who lived it.

Durant's story takes us from Black Hawk Down and gives us a persalized look into his ordeal in Somalia. But he also gives an itimate look into the lives and beliefs of his captors. This is must read book for anyone interested in the survival of the human spirit.

Wow! This book is a terrific! I could hardly put the book down after I started reading it. Durant and Steven Hartov recount all the vivid and unforgettable details of the Black Hawk's crash into the heart of the most unfriendly territory - Aidid-controlled Mogadishu.
The two truly heroic and fearless Delta operators, Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart, attempt to rescue Durant from a massive mob of hate-filled Somalis. Unfortunately, the operators run out of ammo and are overwhelmed by the Somalis' huge numbers. Any minute Durant expects to be literally torn or cut apart limb by limb. With a broken back and leg, Durant can do little to protect himself or get away. And then, like a miracle, he is literally pulled out of the hands of the mob and into custody by a rival warlord's clan.

The story then goes on to cover Durant's initial captivity in dismal and dangerous conditions. His bone-jarring and pain-racking transfers across the pothole-filled streets of Mogadishu, being used as a seat cushion to make it past guarded checkpoints. Despite the obviously searing pain he must have felt, he managed to keep a diary and hold onto his sanity.

The story goes on to describe TF Ranger's search and rescue efforts to locate him (provides a good argument for electronic tracking devices placed in military pilots) and also some behind-the-scenes American diplomatic maneuvers to secure his release (which did work). The Red Cross also visited Durant and helped get essential medicine & emotional support to him. Durant also describes the Somalis he was guarded by and his unusual Somali doctor who carried his limited medical supplies in a fishing tackle box.

Besides the captivity narrative, the book is interspersed with progressive snapshots of Durant's military piloting career as an army helicopter pilot. Durant talks about his training and experiences in the blizzards of South Korea, the jungles of Panama, and gruellingly intense survival-evasion-resistance-escape school in the US. The book winds up with his repatriation, recovery, and eventual return to marathon-running and off-duty flying.

The entire book is packed with action and fascinating military experiences. This book rocks! You'll be dogging bullets right next there to Durant while you're reading it!

Book came in the time frame and in the condition specified.

I looked at this book several times in the store before I actually bought it and read it. I was avoiding it, I guess, because this battle has already been so thoroughly covered I didn't think there could be much more to tell. If that's what you've been thinking, I say get this one! This is one of the best firsthand accounts I've read. First of all, there is plenty of new stuff from Mogadishu in it. Second, seeing this whole thing through Durant's eyes is brutal and honest. The letter from the wife of one of the Delta operators that helped save the author is well worth the price of the book.

It is a rare pleasure to discover a book about intense combat action, bravery under fire, and the painful realities of capture and privation that does not read like an Army Field Manual. Instead, "Company of Heroes" reads like a well-crafted novel. It opens with the crash of one of the Black Hawk helicopters described so grippingly in Mark Bowden's best seller "Black Hawk Down." In that superb true action thriller, we get the big picture of the successful but costly snatch and grab operation in Mogadishu. In "Company," we relive the operation from one of the pilots who crash landed in the midst of thousands of angry Somali rebels.

Durant cuts back and forth from describing his existing plight, to flash backs describing how he became a special ops Night Stalker helo pilot. The technique works wonderfully, filling-in ever more details of his training and combat experiences, and culminating in his crash, capture, imprisonment and astonishing release.

As satisfying is the description of the work ethic that imbues our most elite fighting men. These guys do not dissimulate, they do not brag, and they perfect their skills to a degree not matched anywhere on the planet. Then they go out and do their jobs. And they often get shot, and they sometimes get killed.

It is a real eye-opener to compare the behavior of these men and women in uniform to the men and women of our mainstream media. Durant's wife flies to Germany to finally meet her badly injured husband who has just been released from his imprisonment. A Hollywood type cleverly buys the seat next to her, bent on cajoling from her the movie rights to her husband's story. Ah, yes, that's a scene we see portrayed so often on the silver screen--almost as much as the evil business tycoon threatening to destroy the world. And her phone never stops ringing with columnist determined to get the scoop on "how she feels."

The victory lap was also handled extremely well. It is so easy today to become maudlin at the relief of surviving, of coming home, of recovering fully from sever injuries, of rightly being called a hero. Well, nearly everyone involved in this operation was a hero and behaved heroically. And then shut up about it. What a relief to know there still are people like that; what joy to know they are defending our country. Unlike the self-proclaimed media celebrities whose self-importance ego-mania is exceeded only by their incomes. And who have such little air time to waste on people like these a week after they return from defending our country, when they can be talking instead about a much more fascinating subject--themselves.

Great book! Makes one realize not to seat the little stuff! The story of Durant's ordeal through the crash that was depicted in the movie "BlackHawk Down" as well as during his captivity as well as his training before the crash. I haven't quite finished it yet, but I can tell that it will be interesting from cover to cover.

I've read and really appreciated BlackHawk Down by Mark Bowden, but hearing Mike Durant's story in his own voice really added the personal dimension to this story. This book not only provides great insight into the perspectives of U.S. soldiers involved in Somalia in 1993, but even sheds a little light on the perspectives of the Somalis themselves, in the way they treated and interacted with Durant. Regardless of what you think about what happened there, Durant WAS there, and his individual experience had a critical impact on the events that unfolded. Any study of that conflict is incomplete without hearing Mike Durant's story.

In the Company of Heroes, an inside account of what happened to Durant during and after his capture, is a great addition to the story told in Blackhawk Down.

One drawback is the lack of information regarding the Somali people involved. A little background on Firimbi, his caretaker while in captivity, would have made the book much better (although I still ranked it with 5 stars).

I enjoyed the "flash backs" because they give you insight into Durant's history and TF160. Getting to know the author was fun. We drove the same car in High School (Datsun B210) and attended flight school at roughly the same time (1982/3). These tidbits of information made the story much more enjoyable for me.

An easy and fast read. Well worth you time. If nothing else, you will have a greater appreciation of the sacrifices made every day by the military and their Special Forces soldiers.

Forget what writing critics say about this book - who cares if it has "jargon" and "acronyms"? Durant's experiences will resonate for military men and women who have served in austere conditions. Not only is the Night Stalkers' story inspiring and exciting, it is chock-full of useful information that will definitely jump out for those who have been to SERE school. Sometimes, civilians just don't get it; however, even they would enjoy this book and learn a lot about the talent, strength, and dedication of our American Soldiers.