Hamill ‘in good health’ after Iraq hostage ordeal
Wife says he sounded ‘so wonderful’ after escape from captors
American civilian contractor Thomas Hamill was shown in a videotape given to the Al-Jazeera television network while he was held captive. He was found Sunday by U.S. forces after escaping his captors.
(Associated Press/MSNBC)
MACON, Miss. - The civilian contractor who escaped Sunday after three weeks as a hostage in Iraq called home and sounded “so wonderful,” his wife said as their town buzzed with excitement. The mayor promised “a parade that will not end.”
Thomas Hamill, kidnapped during an insurgent attack on his supply convoy April 9, escaped from a house south of Tikrit and ran to a nearby U.S. patrol, the U.S. military said.
Hamill, 43, from Macon, was “in good health,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt. A gunshot wound to his left arm, possibly suffered when he was captured, appeared to be infected and he was flown to Baghdad, Maj. Neal O’Brien said.
“He is now ready to get back to work,” Kimmitt said.
Wife: ‘Best wake-up call I’ve ever had’
Kellie Hamill said she got a call at about 5:50 a.m. telling her that her husband, a truck driver for a subsidiary of the Halliburton Corp., had been found alive. He later called home, “the best wake-up call I’ve ever had,” she said.
“He sounded wonderful, so wonderful. He said he was fine,” Kellie Hamill told The AP. “He said he was more worried about his mom, his grandmother, me and our kids.”
She said he told her he had been locked in a building and “he said he heard a military convoy come by and pried the door open. He said he ran half a mile down the road and got with the convoy. Isn’t that something?”
Kellie Hamill said she did not know when he would return to the United States. “He said there was a lot going on. He didn’t know when he would get back because they are doing a bunch of other stuff,” she said, referring to questioning by military officials and health checkups.
Kellie Hamill said her children were ecstatic.
“They can’t wait to see their father. Our daughter (age 12) is just bounding around the house,” she said. “It’s going wild here. It’s calls, calls, calls and people at the door.”
Mayor Dorothy Baker Hines said she told Kellie Hamill that as soon as her husband is back “we’re going to have a parade that will not end.”
“I’ve been calling people all morning waking them up and telling them the good news and they don’t mind,” she said. “I can’t imagine what this family has gone through.”
The whole town was buzzing about Hamill being safe, said Kenny Miller, who said he grew up with Hamill and was a lifelong friend.
“I was really worried about him — finding him alive— but he’s free now and that’s wonderful,” said Miller, who works at a hardware store.
“I’m proud for his family. I know this has brought our community together. Everybody around here had prayers for him again last night.”
Governor: ‘A wonderful miracle’
Gov. Haley Barbour called Hamill’s escape “a wonderful miracle.”
“We still have a lot of people in harm’s way. Just yesterday, a young man from Mississippi was killed over there,” the governor said. “It’s great to have something wonderful like this to happen.”
Halliburton issued a statement from its Houston office saying “we are extremely grateful for the safety of Tommy, a father and husband as well as our friend and co-worker.”
“Tommy is a courageous hero and we are proud of his resolve, resilience and refusal to give up hope,” the company said.
Wife says he sounded ‘so wonderful’ after escape from captors
American civilian contractor Thomas Hamill was shown in a videotape given to the Al-Jazeera television network while he was held captive. He was found Sunday by U.S. forces after escaping his captors.
(Associated Press/MSNBC)
MACON, Miss. - The civilian contractor who escaped Sunday after three weeks as a hostage in Iraq called home and sounded “so wonderful,” his wife said as their town buzzed with excitement. The mayor promised “a parade that will not end.”
Thomas Hamill, kidnapped during an insurgent attack on his supply convoy April 9, escaped from a house south of Tikrit and ran to a nearby U.S. patrol, the U.S. military said.
Hamill, 43, from Macon, was “in good health,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt. A gunshot wound to his left arm, possibly suffered when he was captured, appeared to be infected and he was flown to Baghdad, Maj. Neal O’Brien said.
“He is now ready to get back to work,” Kimmitt said.
Wife: ‘Best wake-up call I’ve ever had’
Kellie Hamill said she got a call at about 5:50 a.m. telling her that her husband, a truck driver for a subsidiary of the Halliburton Corp., had been found alive. He later called home, “the best wake-up call I’ve ever had,” she said.
“He sounded wonderful, so wonderful. He said he was fine,” Kellie Hamill told The AP. “He said he was more worried about his mom, his grandmother, me and our kids.”
She said he told her he had been locked in a building and “he said he heard a military convoy come by and pried the door open. He said he ran half a mile down the road and got with the convoy. Isn’t that something?”
Kellie Hamill said she did not know when he would return to the United States. “He said there was a lot going on. He didn’t know when he would get back because they are doing a bunch of other stuff,” she said, referring to questioning by military officials and health checkups.
Kellie Hamill said her children were ecstatic.
“They can’t wait to see their father. Our daughter (age 12) is just bounding around the house,” she said. “It’s going wild here. It’s calls, calls, calls and people at the door.”
Mayor Dorothy Baker Hines said she told Kellie Hamill that as soon as her husband is back “we’re going to have a parade that will not end.”
“I’ve been calling people all morning waking them up and telling them the good news and they don’t mind,” she said. “I can’t imagine what this family has gone through.”
The whole town was buzzing about Hamill being safe, said Kenny Miller, who said he grew up with Hamill and was a lifelong friend.
“I was really worried about him — finding him alive— but he’s free now and that’s wonderful,” said Miller, who works at a hardware store.
“I’m proud for his family. I know this has brought our community together. Everybody around here had prayers for him again last night.”
Governor: ‘A wonderful miracle’
Gov. Haley Barbour called Hamill’s escape “a wonderful miracle.”
“We still have a lot of people in harm’s way. Just yesterday, a young man from Mississippi was killed over there,” the governor said. “It’s great to have something wonderful like this to happen.”
Halliburton issued a statement from its Houston office saying “we are extremely grateful for the safety of Tommy, a father and husband as well as our friend and co-worker.”
“Tommy is a courageous hero and we are proud of his resolve, resilience and refusal to give up hope,” the company said.
