Customer Reviews

Yellow Ribbon: The Secret Journal of Bruce Laingen

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I had the great opportunity to take a class taught by Ambassador Laingen at Hamilton College. His book is very interesting because it gives an intensely personal account of the very dramatic series of events that rocked Iran starting in 1979. I would recommend reading "The Iranians" by Sandra Mackey right before you read "Yellow Ribbon" to get the background necessary to understand both Iran and the events he describes in his book. Really an amazing story of enduring an unimaginable 444 days and the positive attitude that he kept throughout - Truly heroic and inspirational!

Considering how Ambassador Laingen was fortunate enough to be privy to what was going on in the outside world in the 14 months they were held captive, I would have to say he had been at the time, their best weapon and ally against the Iranians' keeping them in the dark and giving them the "mushroom treatment" if everyone knew what I meant. Am sure he may be right about his then Canadian colleague or Ken Taylor in the sense that any American (or Canadian) who was in deep "fecal matter" in Iran at the time was in fairly good and capable hands and am sure that they may have been in that same state with him had he not had the misfortune of having his embassy stormed by the Iranians.
Had the fortune of knowing him for at least nearly 2 years in a "pen buddy" of sorts relationship and felt it was a fortunate thing that he is still going strong though he is now something like 80 years old. As far as Amb. Laingen is concerned, I wondered if people knew he also has every right to wear a button reading "IN THE NAVY AND PROUD OF IT" (in reference to a certain 1970's Village People song) as he is also a World War 2 Navy veteran.