Former POW inspires Iowa colleagues during teaming event

Rockwell Collins Production Operator June Stepanek (left) talks with Michael Durant following his recent presentation to employees from Bellevue, Decorah and Manchester, Iowa.
Photo by Mike Aubey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Rockwell Collins employees from Bellevue, Decorah and Manchester joined together recently for a lesson in teamwork. The first "Next Generation Teaming" event, held in late August, kicked off a revitalization of the facilities' teaming program.

"It was awesome," said Decorah Production Facilitator Rita Elsbernd. "It was a really cool way for people on the (production) floor to meet and talk to others and learn that we really lead parallel lives at the three facilities."

Nearly 700 employees gathered at the Palace Ballroom in Farley, Iowa, to hear firsthand the real-life experiences of Michael Durant, former prisoner of war (POW) and current programs manager at Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions in Huntsville, Ala.

According to Durant, who piloted one of the Black Hawk helicopters shot down in Somalia during a Special Operations mission in October 1993, audiences are eager to learn from his stories about enduring capture and interrogation.

The New York Times bestselling author of In the Company of Heroes, Durant was captured and held for 11 days after his MH-60L Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during Operation Gothic Serpent. The helicopter crashed in a volatile area of downtown Mogadishu, Somalia, called the Black Sea.

"Mike was incredible," said Marcie Miller, a senior manufacturing production control specialist in Decorah. "He drove the whole teaming aspect home."

Elsbernd agreed, noting that the emotion within Durant's presentation was inspiring. "Some of the clips and pictures that were used in his presentation got you right in the stomach."

During the recounting of his tale, Durant likened his experience to the business world. He highlighted that teamwork, combating complacency and, most importantly, people are keys to success both in the military and out.

"You must have an appreciation for the world, the marketplace, the other team," said Durant, whose experience was part of the inspiration behind the 2001 award-winning movie, Black Hawk Down. "The enemy or competitor is changing, and you must change ahead of it in order to maintain a competitive edge."

Durant claimed that because of the perseverance of two Delta Force Army Sergeants and their refusal to leave him behind, he is here today.

"People are the key to success, not the processes, and not equipment; it's the people," he said. "You make the difference; your commitment to our company and what you do make us a success."