Tom Schaefer survived 444 days as a hostage in Iran because of faith.
Faith in himself, his family, his country and God. He tapped into strength he didn't know he had."We all have unlimited potential and capacity to meet any challenge in life. There is untapped strength in every person in here," the retired Air Force colonel told students at South Fremont High School Thursday. He spoke to students in St. Anthony and Ashton about how he survived being held a hostage for more than a year.
"I had a choice . . . I could sit in my cell and make it the worst experience of my life or make it something else," he said. He chose to make it something else.
He was in solitary confinement for the first 150 days, "but I was never alone. Through prayer, I could have my Lord with me."
For a while, he was kept in a cell where the temperature was about 45 degrees. He had only one blanket and had to sleep on the floor. His captors interrogated him 12 hours a day until he told them to shoot him because he couldn't take any more. Then they moved him to better quarters and stopped questioning him.
"Remember, the terrorist wants you alive and well 99 percent of the time," he said.
The exception is if terrorists think a hostage is with the CIA, and "they thought I was CIA."
Schaefer said he expected to be put on trial but learned later none of the hostages were tried because President Jimmy Carter wrote to the ayatollah threatening to "exercise his military options" if that was done.
Schaefer was the highest-ranking military officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, when terrorists broke through gates and took 53 Americans hostage. The 15 Marines stationed at the embassy were ordered not to shoot because officials thought the intruders were Iranian students.
"But then, obviously, they were not. They were trained terrorists ... The embassy takeover was engineered by the KGB (Russian counterpart of the CIA). I am convinced of that," Schaefer said.
He was moved 22 times and was not allowed to talk to other Americans for 51/2 months. He said the first step in getting through trauma is to accept what's happening.
After that, he set goals and spent his days in a routine to keep his mind and body in shape and to reach his goals.
After a "good breakfast" of bread, he studied German. The hostages were allowed to take four books at a time to their cells, and Schaefer found four German language books.
He was not allowed to see any English magazines or newspapers, but he conned his guards into bringing him their German news magazines.
Through those, he learned about the failed rescue attempt on April 24, 1980.
Schaefer said he exercised daily. When yoga became boring, he spent six weeks working up to 1,000 pushups a day. Then he took another six weeks to work up to standing on his head without using his hands.
He kept alert by reading, memorizing poetry and working mathematics problems. He sang aloud, and played tennis in his mind.
He set aside 20 minutes a day of free time - "thinking time, relaxation time and most important, creative time. My days were very productive, and I was very busy."
Schaefer praised President Carter for having the courage to be patient in negotiations with the Iranian government. He said Carter did what he had to do to get the hostages home alive and well.
After being released, he and the others were flown home. As the airplane entered the United States, a recording of "God Bless America" was played over the radio. Schaefer cried, which he said he learned to do as a hostage.