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Military Hero Receives Master's Degree at Embry-Riddle
Daytona Beach, Fla., April 22, 1997 -- Michael J. Durant, the Army helicopter pilot shot down and held prisoner by Somalian war lord Mohamed Farrah Adid, will receive a master's of business administration in aviation degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Saturday, April 26, 1997 at the Ocean Center.
 Durant (left) with Embry-Riddle President Steven Sliwa
President Clinton ordered more than 8000 US troops out of the African nation after an October 3, 1993 ambush of Army Rangers by Somalian militia men killed 18 Americans and wounded 75 others. Durant was captured, beaten and dragged through the streets by an angry mob. In response, the 2nd Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment fought their way through heavy gunfire in Mogadishu to rescue 100 Rangers and carry out the dead. The troops were sent to Somalia as part of a United Nations' effort to ensure safe passage of humanitarian aid.
Durant joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1979. While stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Durant earned his bachelor's degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Extended Campus in 1995. Durant is currently chief warrant officer and a helicopter pilot at Fort Campbell.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's leading university specializing in aviation and aerospace education, training, and research. Its curriculum covers engineering, research, manufacturing, marketing, and management of modern aircraft and the systems that support them. The University has residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and a network of more than 100 education centers in the US and Europe.
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