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The freedom flight touched down in Athens for refueling and then headed for Algiers. It landed at Houari Boumedienne Airport in a rainstorm. In the glare of television lights, Bruce Laingen, the chargé d'affaires at the Tehran embassy, led Kathryn Koob and Elizabeth Ann Swift, who wore the familiar yellow ribbons in their" hair, down a ramp and into the arms of the normally undemonstrative Christopher. Despite beards, the faces of some of the men reflected their exuberance.
They flashed victory signs and clenched fists and shouted to throngs of spectators: "Thank you! Thank you! We made it!"
This first glimpse of the released Americans, beamed to the U.S. live by satellite, was reassuring. Dressed in an incongruous variety of clothing—Marine fatigues, red T shirts adorned with eagles, turtleneck sweaters and sports shirts—the group looked like healthy, but weary, American tourists as they sat on folding chairs for a 35-minute reception inside the airport terminal. Sipping coffee and orange juice, they expressed themselves in typical American idioms: "Fantastic, absolutely fantastic." "Pretty goddamn good, I'll tell ya." "It's good to be out of Khomeini land."
After a brief formal ceremony officially transferring custody of the Americans from Algerian intermediaries into U.S. hands, the returnees found themselves back in the grasp of a benevolent bureaucracy. They were asked to line up by alphabet: those with last names starting from A to K were directed to board one U.S. C-9A Nightingale hospital plane; the rest were assigned to a sister aircraft. Now the rain stopped, stars became visible and some of the Marines broke into a sprint for the waiting planes. The winner of the race thrust his arms in the air and shouted: "God bless America!"
Airborne again and on their way to Frankfurt, the Americans were given fur-trimmed parkas to replace their skimpy jackets and raincoats. The mood grew more festive as more bottles were opened to celebrate the Americans' return to U.S. sovereignty, made tangible by the comfort of the military planes. The men hugged each other; the two women were both hugged and kissed. As they passed over France, air controllers radioed: "Welcome to French airspace. We praise the Lord for your return."
Landing at Rhein-Main Air Base before dawn on Wednesday (12:43 a.m. in Washington), the Americans were met by former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and rushed toward two blue buses. Colonel Schaefer, however, headed instead toward a crowd of spectators, embraced several onlookers and chatted with them. Did he know them? "No," he replied to a fellow passenger on the bus, "but it felt good." On the 25-mile ride to the hospital in Wiesbaden, one of the former hostages raised his hand and sought permission to ask a question. Another asked whether he could light a cigarette. They were reminded by one of the escorts that they were free now and could do what they wished.