An American hostage during the Iran crisis remembers Jimmy Carter

For many who mourned former President Jimmy Carter, not everyone can say he saved his life.

Rocky Sickmann was a 22-year-old US Marine stationed at the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, when he and 51 other Americans were kidnapped by Iranian rebels on November 4, 1979.

It defined his life – and Carter’s presidency.

“For the first 30 days I was sitting in this room with my hands tied and my eyes closed, thinking that the Vietnam War had just ended, and no one cared about these thousands of veterans coming home,” the 67-year-old said. “Who will care about the Iranian hostages?”

He said at the time he wasn’t sure how much President Carter cared about him. It was a sentiment shared by most of the American public. Many blamed Carter for his failure to bring the hostages home for more than a year.

Political historians say that part of the reason why Carter lost to Ronald Reagan – and he only served one term as president – was because of his handling of the hostage crisis.

A few minutes after Regan was sworn in, the hostages were released, although the agreement was still in effect during the Carter administration.

Mr Sickmann said Carter deserves eternal gratitude for his tireless efforts to bring them home.

“He was a good man who wanted diplomacy. I found out after he went deep. He knew my parents. He took care of them. He will meet them in DC.”

When Mr. Sickmann finally met Carter himself, he was hardly dressed for the occasion.

He laughs: “We met him in pajamas! How do you meet your boss dressed like this!”

Rocky was flown out with the other hostages to Wiesbaden, Germany, a year after their abduction. A day after they got there, Carter greeted them in person.

“It was a very happy day because he used to be in the Marines and he said meeting us was the happiest day of his life.”

The meeting was captured in a photo, which Carter would send to Sickmann 10 months after he was voted out of the White House. Signed: ‘To my friend, Rocky Sickmann”.

But that was not the last time Mr. Sickmann saw her. Just 10 years ago, he ran into Carter at a baseball game in Georgia. He had an usher deliver a note to the former president.

“He read it – suddenly he stood up and turned around. I stood up and we waved.”

Like Carter, Mr Sickmann continued to focus on philanthropy. He said he was inspired by the former president to establish Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to families of fallen or disabled American soldiers and first responders.

“President Carter was a good Christian man, married to a wonderful wife, and continued his life of service. I don’t know if I will ever be as good as him but I hope I can do the same.”

This organization was established to honor the 8 American men who were killed trying to rescue hostages. In 1980, the mission, called the Eagle Claw, failed miserably after three helicopters malfunctioned. It was Carter’s last in politics – although he won the Democratic nomination, he was defeated in the election by Ronald Reagan that year.

But while the Iran hostage crisis will be a dark mark on Carter’s political history, Mr Sickmann said he owed his life to Jimmy Carter.

“Morning, noon and night, for 444 days, I have never prayed so hard in my life, I hope that God is with us,” he said.

“But even President Carter kept us alive. He kept us in front of the world, making sure that people are praying for (us).”