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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Iraq: Hostage Thomas Hamill escapes insurgents |
| 2004-05-02 |
| Edited for brevity. American hostage Thomas Hamill, kidnapped three weeks ago in an insurgent attack on his convoy, was found by U.S. forces Sunday south of Tikrit after he apparently escaped from his captors, the U.S. military said. An official said he was in "good health." Hamill, 43, of Macon, Miss., was discovered when he approached a U.S. patrol from the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry, part of the New York National Guard, in the town of Balad, 35 miles south of Tikrit, a spokesman for U.S. troops in Tikrit said. He identified himself, then led the patrol to the house where he had been held captive. The unit surrounded the house and captured two Iraqis with an automatic weapon, said the spokesman, Maj. Neal O’Brien. Hamill, a truck driver working for a subsidiary of the contractor Halliburton, had a gunshot wound to his left arm that appeared to be infected, and was flown by helicopter to Bagdad, O’Brien said. Video images of Hamill released by his captors a day after his abduction showed his left arm in a sling, suggesting he was wounded during the attack on his convoy. In Macon, Hamill’s wife, Kellie, said she received a call about 5:50 a.m. telling her that her husband had been found alive. She said it was "the best wakeup call I’ve ever had." Kellie said one of the first things she did was to wake up their children. "There has been a lot of praying and I am so grateful to everybody," she said. "We’re all so relieved, so excited. I want everybody know he’s been found. I’m going to be shouting it from the rooftops." |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #10 Feels good seeing the proper Yankee response to Italy's soft-headed approach regarding hostage negotiations. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-02 3:28:33 PM |
| #9 "But Ahmed, I thought you were watching the infidel. . ." "Hamid, dont you remember I had to take a leak, then I was going to help my father chop off the hand of this boy who stole an apple from a tree in my fathers yard." "But Ahmed. Play is for after work, we have to insult and threaten him." "But Hamid, where were you?" "Me?" "Yes!" "Well, I ...." "Yes?" "OK, I was making a wish list as to t h specifications of hte 72 virgins when the infidels come and level this building after they find the infidels body." "Hamid, how are you so sure you will be entitled to the 72?" "Osama!" "Aaaaaah." |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-02 3:25:19 PM |
| #8 Woo Hoo. Not only good news, but has a Hollywood ending: he goes back and gets the bastards. Damn I needed to hear this. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-05-02 2:16:59 PM |
| #7 bet this will not be top news on nightline.... |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-05-02 1:25:25 PM |
| #6 This doesn't surprise me. I remember how calm he was when the reporters were talking to him when he was sitting in the captors' car. Like he had been through it all before. |
| Posted by: virginian 2004-05-02 1:12:22 PM |
| #5 I think what happened was the kidnappers ran away when the patrol came by, giving Hamill his chance to escape. Must have been refreshing for him to go back with marines and say "hello" to his captors. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-05-02 12:43:30 PM |
| #4 I'ma remind of joke. 1 riot 1 Texas Ranger. 1 Mississippi Road Man No Riot. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-02 12:09:35 PM |
| #3 Evidently he thought they was threating the Missasipua way of life. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-02 12:08:09 PM |
| #2 hope those two are turned over to the Kurds for interrogation |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-05-02 10:31:54 AM |
| #1 Nice to see some good news for a change, it cleanses the palette. |
| Posted by: Lux 2004-05-02 10:27:56 AM |