'How Jimmy Carter kept me alive in Iran'

Among the many people mourning former President Jimmy Carter, not all can say he saved their lives. Rocky Sickmann is one such person, a former 22-year-old U.S. Marine stationed at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. On November 4, 1979, he and 51 other Americans were taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries.

The event defined his life and deeply impacted Carter's presidency. Sickmann recalled, “For the first 30 days, I was handcuffed, blindfolded, and sitting in a room. The Vietnam War had just ended, and I felt like nobody cared about the veterans coming home. Who would care about the hostages in Iran?” He admitted that he wasn't even sure if President Carter really cared about them, a sentiment that reflected the feelings of many Americans at the time. Many blamed Carter for failing to bring the hostages home for a year.

Political historians believe that Carter's landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan, serving only one term, was partly due to his mishandling of the hostage crisis. Although an agreement to release the hostages was in the works during Carter's presidency, they were freed just minutes after Reagan was sworn into office. Sickmann stated that Carter's relentless efforts to bring them home deserve eternal admiration. “He was a good man, and he wanted to solve things diplomatically. I later learned how deeply involved he was. He knew my parents, he took care of them, and would meet with them in Washington D.C.”

When Sickmann finally met Carter in person, he wasn't dressed up. “We met him in our pajamas! How can you meet your commander-in-chief like that!” he said, laughing. After being held hostage for a year, Rocky and the other hostages were flown to Wiesbaden, Germany. The day after arriving, Carter personally greeted them. “It was an emotional day because he was a former Marine, and he said seeing us was the happiest day of his life.” The meeting was photographed, and Carter sent the photo to Sickmann 10 months after being ousted from the White House, signing it "To my friend, Rocky Sickmann."

But this wasn't the last time Sickmann saw him. Just 10 years ago, he bumped into Carter at a baseball game in Georgia. He had an usher deliver a note to the former president. “He read the note—and suddenly he stood up and turned around. I stood up too, and we waved at each other.” Like Carter, Sickmann also began focusing on charitable work. He said he was inspired by the former president to start "The Fold of Honor" organization, which provides scholarships to the families of American soldiers and first responders who were killed or disabled. “President Carter was a devout Christian, married to his wonderful wife, and continued his life of service. I don’t know if I can be as good as him, but I hope to do the same.”

The charity was founded in memory of the eight American servicemen who died in the failed hostage rescue mission. In 1980, Operation Eagle Claw failed miserably after three helicopters malfunctioned. This became the final straw for Carter politically—although he won the Democratic nomination, he was defeated by Ronald Reagan in that year's election. Although the Iranian hostage crisis is a blemish on Carter's political legacy, Sickmann says he owes Jimmy Carter his life. “From morning to night, for 444 days, I never prayed so hard, hoping God was on our side,” he said, “But President Carter also kept us alive. He put us out in front of the world and made sure people were praying for us, too.”