An American hostage during the Iran crisis remembers Jimmy Carter

Of the many who mourn former President Jimmy Carter, not everyone can say that 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 captured by Iranian rebels on November 4, 1979.

It defined his life — and much of Carter’s presidency.

“For the first 30 days I sat in this room with my hands tied and my eyes closed, I thought the Vietnam War was over, and nobody cared about these thousands of veterans coming home,” said the 67-year-old. “Who’s going to care about the hostages? from Iran?”

He said he didn’t know at the time that President Carter cared so much. It was a sentiment shared by many Americans. Many criticized Carter for failing to bring the hostages home for more than a year.

Political pundits say one of the reasons Carter lost to Ronald Reagan – and served one term as president – was because of the hostage situation.

Minutes after Regan was sworn in, the hostages were released, although the agreement was in place during the Carter administration.

Mr Sickmann said Carter deserves eternal praise for his efforts to bring them home.

“He was a good man who wanted diplomacy. I found out after being very involved. He knew my parents. He took care of them, he met them in DC.”

When Sickmann met Carter himself, he wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion.

He laughs: “We met him wearing pyjamas! How do you meet your elder brother dressed like this!”

Rocky was deported by other prisoners to Wiesbaden, Germany, a year after his capture. The next day when they got there, Carter greeted them himself.

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

The meeting was captured in a photo, which Carter sent to Sickmann 10 months after he was elected to the White House. It was signed: ‘To my friend, Rocky Sickmann.

But this was not the last time Sickmann would see him. Just 10 years ago, he met Carter at a baseball game in Georgia. He had an assistant to deliver a document to the former President.

“He’s reading – suddenly he gets up and stands up and turns around. I stand up and we shake each other.”

Like Carter, Sickmann continued to focus on philanthropic work. He said he was inspired by the former president to establish Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to families of fallen or disabled American soldiers and first responders.

“President Carter was a good Christian man, married to a very good wife, and continued his life of service.

A charity was founded to honor the 8 US men who were killed trying to rescue hostages. In 1980, the mission, known as Eagle Claw, failed miserably after three helicopters malfunctioned. It was Carter’s last straw in politics – although he won the Democratic nomination, he was unseated by Ronald Reagan that year.

But while the Iran crisis may be a black mark on Carter’s political career, Mr. Sickmann said he is alive to Jimmy Carter.

“Morning, noon, and night, for 444 days, I have never prayed like this in my life, hoping that God is on our side,” he said.

“But President Carter kept us alive. He put us in front of the world, made sure people prayed for us (again).”