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Thomas Hamill
Escape In Iraq
Article from 700 Club
CBN.com – Good Friday, Bad Friday
Thomas Hamill was taken captive on Good Friday,
April 9, 2004, while serving as a truck convoy
commander for Haliburton delivering fuel to U.S.
forces at the Baghdad airport. Thomas’ convoy,
accompanied by military escort, came under intense
gunfire along their way. As five of his drivers and
two soldiers were killed in their trucks, and the
tanker trucks were sprayed with gunfire, the threat
of a huge fuel explosion increased.
When he saw that a truck not part of the convoy was
on fire just ahead of them, Thomas knew that this
was a strategically planned attack. Forced to choose
between driving his hemorrhaging truck toward the
flames or running through the gunfire, Thomas and
another man opted to run. |
But first
Thomas would use his laptop computer to communicate his
location and call for help. Before he could send his
message, Thomas felt a powerful slam into his right arm. He
was shot, and a huge piece of his arm was missing. Blood
poured out over the laptop computer that was his only
communication link to help. Thomas left his truck.
Remembering his training on what to do in a gunfight, Thomas
dropped to the ground and tried to crawl to nearby
buildings. But his right arm, now wound in a pair of socks
to stop the bleeding, was useless. As he tried to move to
safety, he realized a young Iraqi boy was pointing at him
and shouting frantically.
Quickly, one of the gunmen came and captured him. A small
car soon pulled up, and Thomas was taken to an undisclosed
location. His captivity had officially begun.
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Spiritual Evaluation
While a prisoner, Hamill evaluated his spiritual life and
says that he realized something: "I had left God somewhere
over the years ... but I felt His presence with me. I knew
He wasn't going to let me die in Iraq." Thomas had regular
conversations with God. As each new ordeal unfolded, he
would tell God that it was God who was in charge. Thomas
prayed for protection over the food he was given in case it
was poisoned. He told another prisoner how he was trusting
God to return him to his family. He constantly repeated the
23rd Psalm to calm his nerves: "Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...".
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Though his
treatment was civil, Thomas was often hungry and dehydrated,
and he could smell his right arm rotting off the bone. His
captors moved him often. Because he had been in Iraq as a
driver, Thomas continually hoped to glimpse something of his
surroundings that would let him know his exact location. His
captors did bring in a surgeon to help bandage his arm and
give him antibiotics. An 80-year-old Iraqi woman came to
pray for him.
Then the news of the Abu Graib prisoner abuse broke and
Thomas’ circumstances changed.
“That night, they came in and shackled my hands,” he says,
“and they shackled my legs with dog chains.”
Deliverance at Hand
Thomas Hamill On the twenty-third day, Thomas heard a sound
he recognized. He heard the sound of approaching troops.
Mustering all his strength and courage, he charged out of
the mud hut where he’d been held. He didn’t know where his
guards were or if he might be killed in his attempt. Once in
sight of the troops, he began waving his shirt over his head
and yelling, “I’m an American, I’m an American, I’m an
American POW!”
The astonished New York National Guard unit gathered up the
fuel convoy leader and carried him to safety. Apparently
when the troops approached about 40 strong, the lone guard
watching Thomas feared for his own life and ran. Thomas was
free at last. The date was May 2, 2004.
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Bruised
but Not Broken
Thomas was flown to Germany for medical treatment and to be
rejoined with his relieved family. He received a surprise
visit from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who
happened to be visiting troops in Germany.
Since returning home, he has undergone several surgeries on
his arm. At least one more skin graft and physical therapy
will be required before he can consider returning to work
for Halliburton. "They've said I can stay [in Macon] and
work if I want to," he says. "I wouldn't mind going back [to
Iraq].” Thomas is proud of the work he did in Iraq. Serving
the troops in this way is important to him.
Now They Can Laugh About It
Thomas and Kellie can even laugh now about some things that
happened during the ordeal. "When I went to Germany to meet
him, they let us stay at the Fisher House on a medical
base," Kellie says. "It's sort of like a Ronald McDonald
House ... it's there for families that need a place to stay
for a few days. I fixed him a ribeye steak, baked potato,
and salad. When he looked at the salad, he said, 'I think
I'm going to take these out.' " He laid sliced cucumbers and
tomatoes to the side. Kellie had no idea cucumbers and
tomatoes were about all he was given to eat while captured.
Kellie sums up what her husband went through this way: "He
used to be really quiet," she says. "But now he doesn't have
an 'off' button -- not when it comes to talking about the
Lord. And I'm glad of that." |
