In the early 1990s, there were two armies in Namibia who were killing each other. A “peace” was negotiated and one of the armies was to stand down and disburse. The first “free” election was to be held. My son was part of a British film crew who went to Namibia to record that historic event.
Well, the army who was now not an army was still an army and they were going to raise hell and not disband. So, the British film crew arrives to make a fine film of this freedom of the country. Instead, the army that was not an army, kidnapped them and discussed whether to kill them then or wait awhile. News of this got out, was on BBC TV and in the London Times paper, and no one knew what happened to this film crew.
The UN asked for a volunteer to man a helicopter so a UN man could try to get them out. The man who volunteered was the pilot of the helicopter used in the Sylvester Stallone film that used plenty of helicopter action in a mountain area that was hazardous for a helicopter. He said he would go get Wayne and crew. The helicopter hovered at a certain place down a road outside this stronghold and no guards were at that place in the road at that time.
UN man with his nice blue helmet got to talk to our film crew and told them to take off running to that spot and the helicopter would grab them up. Then UN blue helmet guy talks to the head army guy to keep him occupied. The film crew took off, made it to the spot and pilot guy got them up in the air and out.
NOW, I DIDN'T KNOW MY KID WAS KIDNAPPED! His wife didn't want to upset me so she didn't let me know it until he was safe! I had a cat fit. Let me know if he is in trouble so I won't get a call out of the blue that he is dead. The whole of England knew it - it was on TV and in the paper.
I am lucky my kid is still alive through that event and others as he has traveled and made films in some of the worst places in this world - the Taliban in Pakistan and traveling/filming Muammar Gaddafi in Libya after Gaddafi held him prisoner in a hotel there.
Do you know what became of the blue helmet guy? Sounds like a courageous fellow.