Lives in Limbo

With the last of the American hostages now home, Anderson and other former captives share memories of physical pain, mental anguish and extraordinary human endurance

Terry Anderson may have lost 2,455 days of his life, but he has lost none of his journalistic instincts. "The worst day?" he said in response to a question from the reporters gathered in Wiesbaden. "The worst day I had was Christmas of 1986." A veteran storyteller, Anderson first set the scene. He was in solitary. Similarly confined but within eyeshot were fellow hostages Tom Sutherland, John McCarthy and Brian Keenan. "We had nothing, no books, nothing."

Anderson unfolded the tale, offering his colleagues a bit of a scoop. "One thing we could do -- and my captors may be surprised...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!