Australian engineer Douglas Wood returns to his home in Alamo on Thursday for the first time since being released June 20 in Baghdad. He was held captive 47 days by insurgents.
Posted on 08/05/2005 12:47:21 PM PDT by SmithL
ALAMO - Douglas Wood, who was a captive in Baghdad for six weeks before a military raid converged June 15 on the place he was being held, came home to his family's Alamo home late Thursday night, making a few brief statements before going into the house.
Earlier, upon his early evening arrival at San Francisco International Airport, Wood had told reporters from NBC's San Jose affiliate, KNTV, "You never know what's going to happen next ... When they come in the night and shoot guys ... knowing ... tonight might be your turn. You don't get used to that."
The 64-year-old engineer, a native of Australia, had been abducted while in the Iraqi capital while working on a civilian reconstruction project, appeared bedraggled but elated after his 47-day ordeal.
Soldiers found Wood, who has heart problems, concealed beneath a blanket, haggard and weak. He had been blindfolded, handcuffed and apparently beaten in captivity, Australian authorities said.
"I don't feel I'm a hero. I was a victim. I was captured, didn't have much fun for 47 days," he told KNTV. "I'm grateful for the miracle that got me out,'' said an occasionally teary-eyed Wood, who held hands with his wife, Yvonne Given, throughout the television interview.
Wood, riding up in a convertible, arrived at home at 10 p.m. Thursday, apparently having stopped off to see firnds on the way home from the airport.
and Human Rights activists are saying.....NOTHING!
Thank you, God. May they all be rescued.
If this is the entire article, it is interesting to note what the newspaper chose NOT to report. Local news radio station KCBS broadcast an interview with Wood yesterday, apparently right after he arrived at the airport. In the excerpts that they played, Wood ALSO said that he did NOT mean any of the anti-American things that he said in the videos that his captors released. He said that he was forced to say those things, and that he felt "embarrassed" and "like a coward" for having said them. Furthermore, he said that he wanted to apologize to President Bush for the negative things he said in the video, and that he fully supports our efforts in Iraq.
He added that he hopes to be able to apologize to Bush in person sometime. He showed a lot of class, in my opinion.
He was very plain about all of the things he said. So, why am I NOT shocked that this newspaper chose NOT to report those things. In fact, I was surprised that a lefty MSM news radio station like KCBS even broadcast those comments of his at all. Their regular news producers must have been on vacation!!
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