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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to software, radio, software, radio on time on Target. I am your host this afternoon, Steve Balsruiri. Joining us, we have a great special guest with us, Mike Durant, who most of you would remember from the book and the film Black Hawk Down.

Mike was the helicopter pilot, which was the Black Hawk Down that everything was based upon. Mike did 22 years in the military. He's now retired from the military and he's running for office, he's running for the senate.

We're going to talk to him about that, but before we go any further, we want to just welcome him to the park as Mike. Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us this afternoon. We really appreciate it.

Thank you, Steve. It's great to be on.

Let's talk a little bit about your military career. I know you said you grew up up north.

So when you grow up, and what made you decide to join the military?

Well, first, your accent is still a little bit more dominant than mine is. I will say that. I grew up in New Hampshire, northern New Hampshire, actually, about halfway between Montreal and Boston.

The big debate in my hometown, pretty small paper mill town, was whether you were a Montreal-Canadian fan or a Boston Bruins fan.

I probably did a little of both, but today I would characterize myself as a Bruins fan, Red Sox fan, Patriots fan. That's where my allegiance ended up.

But I joined the military when I was 18. I wanted to fly. I had gotten to know a gentleman who was a worn officer flying for the New Hampshire National Guard.

He had his own private business where he owned some aircraft, and I got to go flying with him one day.

And anybody's ever been in a helicopter. Your first helicopter ride is, I don't know anyone that's not just in awe of it.

You know, it's just kind of crazy, like a hummingbird, right? I guess it's the sensation that you think you have.

And I'm sitting there looking at him and I'm thinking, this is a job. I could do this and get paid to do this. This is for me.

So he set me on that course, and I found out later he actually had done that with several teenagers that he knew.

And I don't know how many of us ever made it all the way through to flight school, but that was my inspiration to join the military.

Yeah, it's funny. You talk about the first time in helicopter. My first helicopter ride. I didn't land in it.

We did a helicopter jump right after jump school. So yeah, that was what a trip that is.

Well, I'm a big fan of staying on board the aircraft.

Unless it's under extreme circumstances, but I've certainly done enough pair of jumps to know it's pretty cool.

So you went to Fort Rucker and you were probably a Huey pilot to start off?

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