An American hostage in the Iran crisis remembers Jimmy Carter

Of the many mourners of former President Jimmy Carter, not everyone can say he saved their lives.

Rocky Sickmann was a 22-year-old US Marine stationed at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, when he and 51 other Americans were kidnapped by Iranian revolutionaries on November 4, 1979.

It defined his life, as well as much of Carter’s presidency.

“For the first 30 days I’ve been sitting in this room handcuffed and blindfolded, thinking that the Vietnam War had just ended, and no one cared about those thousands of veterans coming home,” the 67-year-old said. “Who will take care of the Iranian hostages?”

He said at the time he wasn’t sure how much President Carter cared. It resonated with many audiences in the United States. Many blamed Carter for bringing home the hostages for more than a year.

Political historians say part of the reason Carter lost to Ronald Reagan, who only served one term as president, was because of his handling of the guerilla crisis.

Minutes after Regan was sworn in, the hostages were released, although the deal was in the works during Carter’s presidency.

Mr. Sickmann said Carter deserves to be forever admired for his relentless efforts to bring them home.

“He was a good man who wanted diplomacy. I found out later how deeply involved he was. He knew my parents. He cared for them, he would meet them in DC.”

When Mr. Sickmann finally met Carter himself, he was not quite dressed for the occasion.

He laughs, “We met him in his pajamas! How are you going to meet your commander-in-chief dressed like that!”

Rocky was taken with the other hostages to Wiesbaden, Germany, a year after being taken hostage. The day after their arrival, Carter personally greeted them.

“It was a very exciting day because he used to be in the Marines and he said meeting us was the happiest day of his life.”

The meeting was captured in a photograph that Carter would send to Sickmann 10 months after leaving the White House. It was signed, “To my friend, Rocky Sickmann.”

But it wasn’t the last time Mr. Sickmann saw him. 10 years ago, he ran into Carter at a baseball game in Georgia. The former president was given a note by a starter.

“He reads, suddenly gets up and stands up and turns around. I stood up and we waved to each other.”

Like Carter, Mr. Sickmann focused on charitable work. He said the former president inspired him to establish Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled American military and first responders.

“President Carter was a good Christian man, married to his wonderful wife and continued his life of service. I don’t know if I will ever be as good as him but I hope I can do the same.”

The charity was created to honor the 8 US servicemen who died trying to rescue hostages. In 1980, the so-called Eagle Claw mission failed miserably after three helicopters malfunctioned. Politically it was the last straw for Carter; although he won the Democratic nomination, he was defeated in the election by Ronald Reagan that year.

But while the Iran hostage crisis would be a dark mark on Carter’s political legacy, Mr. Sickmann said he owes his life to Jimmy Carter.

“Morning, noon and night, for 444 days, I never prayed so hard in my life, hoping that God would be on our side,” he said.

“But President Carter also kept us alive. He kept us in front of the world, making sure people prayed for us (too).”