The powerful and enduring humiliation...
Reader comment on item: Ahmadinejad - Hostage Taker?

Submitted by Cowboy Wally (United States), Nov 13, 2006 at 13:28

I don't know what the cutoff is for intense memories, and I know 40 is a nice round number, but even as an 11 year old (who is now 38), I knew that something was extremely wrong with our embassy being taken hostage and our nation doing nothing. I recall the day that the number of hostages went down to 52. I remember the daily drumbeat on the news reminding us each and every day of how long our brave men had been held. I remember beating the Russians meaning so very much to me. I remember hearing an early morning news bulletin (I had fallen asleep listening to the Yankee game on the radio) reporting that the rescue attempt had failed. I didn't really know who Reagan was, but I knew that the day he was elected, day 444 of captivity ended, and Day 1 of freedom began.

More recently, I did take heart in Sean McCormack's statement:

But I do want to say one thing and that is to underscore the fact that we have not forgotten. We have not forgotten the fact that 51 of our diplomats were held for 444 days;

So again, I just want to underscore that anybody who, I think, was alive at the time during this period, you know, can never forget that period and we have not forgotten.

We have not forgotten. And the final fate of Saddam Hussein should give even Ahmadinejad some pause as to his end.

Cowboy Wally

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