WEST POINT, N.Y. — Former hostage Barry Rosen touched down on an American tarmac 30 years ago and fell into the arms of a wife and two young children lost to him during his 444 days of captivity in Iran. Then came the exhilarating bus ride to West Point along a route lined with yellow ribbons and thousands of cheering people.
Three decades after the famous release on Jan. 20, 1981, Rosen will be among the former hostages returning to the site of their emotional homecoming during a reunion hosted by the U.S. Military Academy. It will be a chance to catch up with friends who share an intimate and harrowing bond — and to speak to cadets who had yet to be born.
“I don’t want to get maudlin about this, but 30 years is a long time, and we’re getting older as a group,” Rosen, 66, said.
At least 10 former hostages have accepted invitations and will arrive starting Jan. 20. Also invited to the private event were veterans of the ill-fated military rescue mission that ended in a helicopter crash that killed eight U.S. servicemen.
