Ex-Hostage Hamill Throws 1st Astros Pitch

AP ^ | 05-13-04 | By KRISTEN HAYS

[WKB]

HOUSTON (AP) -- Fans gave former Iraqi hostage Thomas Hamill a standing ovation Wednesday night as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Houston Astros baseball game.

Hamill, 44, a truck driver for Halliburton subsidiary KBR, was wounded in his right arm and captured when his convoy was ambushed April 9. He escaped May 2 from a farmhouse about 50 miles north of Baghdad and ran a half-mile to a patrol of U.S. military vehicles.

Hamill returned home to Macon, Miss., after midnight Saturday. On Wednesday, he visited Houston with his wife and two children to meet with executives and colleagues at Houston-based Halliburton.

Hamill threw out the first pitch at the Astros game against the Florida Marlins even though his throwing arm was in a cast. He pumped his fist after getting the ball across the plate.

"This is more than I ever would have imagined," Hamill said earlier as he met privately with Halliburton president and CEO Dave Lesar, according to a statement released by the company.

Hamill was among seven American contractors who disappeared after the April attack. The bodies of four have been found, and two workers remain missing. Two military men also vanished; one was later found dead and the other remains missing.

Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall said Hamill remains a paid employee.

[WKB]

[WKB]

MS ping

[anniegetyourgun]

I can only imagine how many times Tommy Hamill has thanked God for his life, and for the prayers of so many of the faithful.

[leadpenny]

Good for him! I hope it gets to "Start Your Engines" at a NASCAR race too.

[TheBattman]

a truck driver for Halliburton subsidiary KBR

Is anyone else here getting sick of the Halliburton connection in EVERY SINGLE press report of anything related to Iraq? What relevance is the Halliburton connection? - Oh, yeah, VP Dick Cheney....

[smiley]

We hope and pray that his mental "target" was a picture of the anti-war democrats.

[smiley]

....hey Dude, be careful....President Clintons also used Halliburton during the 90s. They are the only oil company that is willing to go into dangerous war torn Middle East terroritories. This has nothing to do with Cheney.

[onyx]

This is a nice, happy article.
I think only a MS man could show
such form and throw the ball over
the plate with his arm in a cast.
(I'm certain you'll agree with me on this).

[TheBattman]

....hey Dude, be careful....President Clintons also used Halliburton during the 90s. They are the only oil company that is willing to go into dangerous war torn Middle East terroritories. This has nothing to do with Cheney.

My comment was showing the reason the media is playing up the Halliburton connections - it's because of the Cheney connection. I don't recall hearing anything about Halliburton when Clintoon was in office - it's simply the connection to the Vice President that's feeding the media's continued advertising of Halliburton's work.

[WKB]

I think only a MS man could show such form .


MS men are made that way

[WKB]

I can only imagine how many times Tommy Hamill has thanked God for his life, and for the prayers of so many of the faithful.


I am convinced Prayer is why he is alive today.

[Saundra Duffy]

Thank God! I'll bet he's glad he got out when he did. He could have been beheaded.

[dixiechick2000]

"I think only a MS man could show
such form and throw the ball over
the plate with his arm in a cast."



I absolutely agree with you.
Don't let that go to your
head, WKB. ;o)

[onyx]

Don't let that go to your
head, WKB. ;o)





Reckon it's too late.

[dixiechick2000]

He was born that way. ;o)