A Hostage’s Human Dignity

Black Hawk Down

This flow traces how Durant maintains dignity and connection while captors control his body and environment.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Small Act of Control A Small Act of Control from "Black Hawk Down". Working Free of the Chain Bound on the Floor Durant spent the night chained by the hands, injured and uncertain whether he would be rescued or killed.

A Small Act of Control from "Black Hawk Down". Working Free of the Chain Bound on the Floor Durant spent the night chained by the hands, injured and uncertain whether he would be rescued or killed.

Working Free of the Chain Bound on the Floor Durant spent the night chained by the hands, injured and uncertain whether he would be rescued or killed. Sweat allowed him to slide one hand free. A Private Victory He adjusted his position and tried to make himself more comfortable, then returned his hand to the chain. The small act gave him a measure of control without revealing it to his captors.

A Captor’s Care A Captor’s Care from "Black Hawk Down". Care Within Captivity Basic Needs Firimbi helped clean and bandage Durant and sought medical attention for him.

A Captor’s Care from "Black Hawk Down". Care Within Captivity Basic Needs Firimbi helped clean and bandage Durant and sought medical attention for him.

Care Within Captivity Basic Needs Firimbi helped clean and bandage Durant and sought medical attention for him. The pilot remained dependent on the people holding him. Dignity Without Freedom Moments of consideration reduced some of the physical indignities of captivity but did not change its coercive nature. Their relationship developed within unequal power and ongoing political danger.

A Letter to His Unit A Letter to His Unit from "Black Hawk Down". Reaching Across the Distance Red Cross Visit A representative of the International Red Cross brought Durant forms for a letter to his family.

A Letter to His Unit from "Black Hawk Down". Reaching Across the Distance Red Cross Visit A representative of the International Red Cross brought Durant forms for a letter to his family.

Reaching Across the Distance Red Cross Visit A representative of the International Red Cross brought Durant forms for a letter to his family. He described his condition and asked them to pray for the men whose fates he did not know. A Personal Signal He also wrote to his comrades at the hangar, asking them not to touch the whiskey in his rucksack and adding the unit motto. Humor and code allowed him to reassure them while revealing little to his captors.

October 4, 1993, before dawn

October 4–10, 1993

During captivity, before his release