by Dayna Curry
“They’ve seen us! They’ve seen us!”
But the machines drew back. One circled overhead. Surely, they had seen us. We did not understand what was taking the rescuers so long to land. Twenty minutes passed before anything happened.
Dayna: I saw the shapes of people coming toward us.
“Do you speak English?” a man said.
“Yes,” I replied without thinking.
The others gasped and got onto me for answering. “We don’t know who those people are!” someone whispered.
Heather: I leaned forward so I could see. Several huge shapes emerged from the shadows. These men were not Taliban. Covered in gear, they looked like Martians. I could see their guns.
Dayna jumped behind me and cried, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”
Heather & Dayna: Over the noise of the choppers, we heard: “Are you the detainees?”
“Yes!” we exclaimed.
Behind us the Afghan men looked on with dazed expressions. “These are our friends,” Georg explained. “Please do not shoot.” The soldiers acknowledged Georg’s request.
“Listen and do exactly what we say!” one rescuer commanded.
“Count ’em off,” another voice said.
Someone counted. “They’re only seven,” he yelled.
“No,” we answered. “There are eight of us!”
He counted again. “They are all here. Let’s go!”
The rescuers led us across the field, placing their hands on our shoulders to guide us.
“Watch your step. Look out for holes,” one soldier warned.
“Let’s run! Come on, let’s run!” one of our group called out.
“Keep your pace,” a rescuer responded calmly. “This is a good pace.” Along the way Diana collapsed into a ditch.
As we moved ahead, we looked up. Towering over a little mud house in the distance was the chopper.
Heather: I thought: We are in the middle of a movie!
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I had never seen such a spectacular sight. In the complete darkness, a ring of light circled above the propellers of the monstrous machine. What must the poor Afghan in the house below be thinking? I wondered.
Georg and I were the first ones to board the chopper. As we climbed into the dark hull, Georg fell down and I tumbled over him. We moved to the front, tripping as we went, and took seats on the floor. Diana boarded and sat next to me, and I leaned against her. The whole operation had been so sensational. But I would not feel completely safe until we reached Pakistani airspace.
“How high does this chopper fly?” I asked one of the men.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. You’re going to be just fine.”
Another soldier bent down and said, “I want you to know that since your first day in captivity on August 3, my family and I have never stopped praying for you.”
No words could have been sweeter.
I sat close to Diana and let my gaze drift upward. Tacked to the ceiling of the chopper was an American flag. It was a beautiful flag. I finally rested and worshiped Jesus.
Dayna: I sat with Kati on top of some boxes. “Is it okay if we sit here?” I asked one of the soldiers.
“You’re good,” he said.
Another soldier approached and yelled into my ear over the noise of the engine: “I just want you to know that my family and I have been praying for you since the first day you were taken captive, and most of these guys in here have been praying, too. It’s an honor for me to be on this operation and to be used by God to help get you guys out.”
I was touched by his words. God heard the prayers of many and used these great guys to save us. No one had been hurt. We were so grateful.
The men handed out water. Then they held up a laminated sheet of photographs and asked us to identify ourselves.
I thought back to the night Kabul fell. I had grieved that night sitting among the rocket launchers in the Taliban vehicle. I guess I didn’t hear from God, I had told myself. It doesn’t look like we will get out very soon at all. How will we ever make it out before Christmas, much less Thanksgiving?
But I did hear. We did get out “very soon.” God did speak to me. And God was faithful.
After the aid workers made contact with Islamabad from Ghazni, the U.S. military quickly assembled a team of Special Operations Forces rescue personnel. A rescue team had planned to pick up the aid workers as Kabul was falling, but Taliban forces took the aid workers out of the city.
The new rescue team included a U.S. Navy “SEAL platoon plus” (a SEAL platoon normally consists of sixteen men) and a small number of Air Force Special Tactics airmen. The team was divided into a “recovery force” and a separate “quick reaction force” (QRF). The QRF would stand by to intervene should something in the rescue process go awry.
The team flew three or four MH-47 Chinook helicopters off of ships in the Arabian Sea. The total round-trip for the rescue operation was eighteen hours. The force refueled several times in the air and in Pakistan twice—once before entering Afghanistan, then on their trip out.
At the Ghazni airfield, the rescue team touched down two times before they actually located the aid workers. In both cases, rescue personnel encountered groups of what appeared to be Taliban fighters. Neither group seemed inclined to fight. The fighters cheered for America, and both times the rescue team got off the ground safely.
Only after the aid workers started a fire with their head scarves were rescue team personnel able to spot the group through night-vision goggles. The team touched down, verified the group’s identity, and loaded them on one of the choppers.
Heather & Dayna: Three hours later, we landed in Pakistan and boarded a C-130 Hercules. Dozens of people were on board. We ate our first meal, an MRE—Meals Ready to Eat—and took off some of our layers of clothing. We shook hands with the soldiers who rescued us and talked with them awhile. We badly wanted to know something about them—even their first names—so we could better express our appreciation; but they could tell us nothing.
We landed in Islamabad at 8 A.M. Once we came to a stop, one of the crew members opened the door of the plane and told us to wait. We could see our parents standing on the tarmac.
Heather: The first person who came into view was my father; he wore a red, white, and blue windbreaker. When they allowed us to walk off the plane, I ran as fast as I could into his arms to receive the hug on free soil for which I had waited one hundred and five days.
Dayna: I went to my mother. I was so relieved all of this was over for her. She wept with joy and hugged me tightly. Then she hugged the other women as they got off the plane, since none of their mothers could be there to greet them.
Heather: The embassy staff cheered and welcomed us. We were so happy to see them. Donahue bent down and picked up the plastic bags of extra clothing we had stripped off in the plane.
My dad turned to him: “Donahue, your job is finished. Now it is your time to rest.”
Heather & Dayna: There are many more stories we could tell. We could tell about our welcome in Islamabad, about the utter dedication of our military and the government officials who worked night and day for months trying to get us out of Afghanistan. We could tell about the celebration that erupted at our church in Waco once news of our release was made public. The international news media were set up near President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas—just over twenty miles from our church—to cover a visit by Russian president Vladimir Putin. When word of our rescue got out, the press descended on our church parking lot and reported the passionate worship of the hundreds of local people who had prayed fervently for our safe release.
We could tell of media interviews and hair salon appointments in Islamabad, and the love shared with us by Pakistanis on the streets. We could tell of the welcome dinner hosted by the German ambassador and of the special phone call that came for us that evening at his home.
“This phone will ring in a moment,” a U.S. official told us gently. “The P
resident will be on the line.”
We could tell of our reunions with loved ones, our return to America, and the countless letters we received from people who prayed for us. We could tell of our meeting with President Bush at the White House and the media marathon that followed. “We believe that God is using America to bring restoration and hope to this nation we love so much,” Diana wrote to the President, thanking him on behalf of the eight of us. We could tell many more stories, but other books would have to contain them.
A NOTE TO THE READER
We are so thankful for all that God did for us throughout our ordeal in Afghanistan. God truly is a God of miracles and a God who answers prayer. No matter how desperate our situation looked at different points along the way, God always came near to comfort us.
Still, we believe this story of God’s love has a purpose that reaches beyond our lives. By demonstrating his love and rescuing us while we were in peril, we believe God desired to express his heart for all people. Through his son Jesus, God is setting people free from prisons even today—the prisons in our hearts. No prison is too dark for the unconditional love of God to overcome.
Our wish is that some aspect of this story has touched your heart and brought you hope in the midst of your own personal experience. God says in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” He promises always to be with you, no matter what obstacles come your way. He will guide you and give you peace. He promises that all who put their trust in Jesus will receive the gift of eternal life.
If you have never met Jesus in a personal way, and you would like to follow him, we want to give you an opportunity to respond. If the suggested prayer below reflects your desire, then as you pray it, Jesus will come into your heart as he promised. God is not as concerned with your words as he is with the attitude of your heart.
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open my heart to you and ask you to come in and be my Lord and savior. Thank you for forgiving me and healing my heart. Thank you for giving me eternal life. Please take control of my life and be my leader. Make me the kind of person you want me to be. Amen.
If you prayed to know Jesus personally, he now lives inside your heart. He has given you a new life and a fresh start. To deepen this relationship with Jesus:
1. Read your Bible every day.
2. Talk to God every day in prayer.
3. Worship, fellowship, and serve with other followers of Jesus in a church where Christ is preached.
4. Share with others how God’s love has changed your life.
5. As Christ’s representative in a needy world, live out your new life by demonstrating love and concern for others.
We would love to hear from you. If you decided to follow Jesus or would like to learn more about walking with him in relationship, then please let us know. Visit our website at www.prisonersofhope.com.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
After returning to the United States in late November, we were awed by the overwhelming support and love we received from countless people. In fact, as we traveled and shared our story, we came to realize that the reach of others’ support extended farther than we ever imagined. From a bathroom in the Geneva, Switzerland, airport to a church in New York City to our local grocery store in Waco, Texas, people graciously have expressed their love for us and shared in the joy of our release.
If we spent a lifetime saying “thank you” to everyone who labored to bring us home, we would not be able to convey our gratitude fully. We will never know all of the people who prayed, worked endless hours, and risked their lives on our behalf. Kindly allow us to attempt to share our deep appreciation for all that you have done.
We offer sincere thanks to the numerous people around the world who remembered us in prayer. Your prayers paved the way for us to return home alive. God heard and answered you. You are heroes in this story. To the churches and followers of Jesus who gave their time and energy to praying for our well-being, we commend, thank, and encourage you. May we continue to be a people of prayer, service, and sacrifice.
To our own church, Antioch Community Church—your dedication and commitment to us remains almost unparalleled in our eyes. We honor you for your unwavering support throughout the years. You have given us more than we will ever be able to repay. Thank you for praying literally twenty-four hours a day for our release. You gave heart and soul, hour after hour—even staying up through the night—pouring out prayer on our behalf. You made enormous financial sacrifices for us. We are humbled by and so thankful for your devotion. When the going gets tough, there is no team we would rather be on. We love you!
In particular, we would like to offer thanks to Dawn Manoleas of ACC for her steadfastness and servant’s heart. We are also deeply grateful to our associate pastor, Danny Mulkey, who spent ten weeks in Islamabad so that someone from our church would be available to us when we were released. We love and appreciate you.
To our friends from Waco with whom we served in Afghanistan: Thank you for daring to live for something bigger than yourselves, even when it costs you everything. You model for us what it means to lose our lives so that we might find them. We are proud to call you our friends.
We extend our deepest love and gratitude to our pastor and friend, Jimmy Seibert. Once again you have shown yourself to be a man of humility, grace, and courage. Your leadership and your commitment to serve Jesus no matter the price have changed our lives. You have risen to this most recent challenge and handled it with such grace and honor. Well done! We know you were always there for us. Thank you for believing in us and for selflessly spending yourself to help us chart our way through this latest piece of the journey. We dearly love you and pray that you see all your dreams fulfilled.
We would like to thank the U.S. military personnel and government officials who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for three and a half months to help us. We recognize and are so grateful for the sacrifices you made.
We will always remember the commitment of the U.S. Special Forces who bravely put themselves in harm’s way in order to get us out of Afghanistan. Thank you for your unflagging determination to rescue us on that memorable night. We are utterly indebted to you.
We are still awed by the dedication of the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. We would like to thank especially U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, U.S. Consul General David Donahue, Deputy Chief of Mission Michele Sison, and Deputy Consul General Abdelnour Zaiback. Thank you for persevering on our behalf and for supporting our loved ones during an uncertain time. You all did an amazing job, and we will never forget you.
We would like to express sincere gratitude to our president, George W. Bush, and his administration for demonstrating strength and leadership during a crisis of enormous magnitude. While in prison we prayed almost daily that you would be given the wisdom and grace to navigate unpredictable events and lead a changing world. We graciously thank you for your resolve to commit American resources and lives in order to rescue us and bring us home.
We are grateful to the people of Shelter Now International for allowing us to serve with them. May you receive double for all you lost through this crisis, and may your coming years of service to the Afghan people be even more fruitful than previous years.
We also appreciate the media for faithfully covering our story and spotlighting our circumstances. And we want to thank Waco, Texas, and Baylor University for rallying around us during our ordeal. Thank you, Waco, for your tremendous encouragement. You always will be our home away from home.
Warmest appreciation to the staff at Doubleday and WaterBrook Press for all of their hard work on this book project. We especially thank our editor, Trace Murphy, who believed in the book and went the extra mile to accommodate us, and his assistant, Siobhan Dunn, for her diligence. Special thanks to Don Pape, Steve Cobb, Laura Barker, and Ginia Hairston at WaterBrook Press; Eric Major, Director of Doubleday Religious Publishing; and Steve Rubin
, president and publisher of Doubleday.
Thank you also to Dell Computer Corporation for giving us the laptops that we used to work on this book.
We appreciate Bettye Miller, our reporter and researcher; Christian Lowe, our researcher on military matters; and Bob Cornuke, Amanda Spitzer DeRocher, Juan Medina, and Patrick Byers for contributing their photographs. Special thanks to David Aikman, our editorial and foreign policy consultant, for his wisdom, constant accessibility, and commitment to the project.
We would like to express our gratitude to Stacy Mattingly, our book writer. You did it! What a miracle! Thank you for giving your life for the last three months to write this manuscript. Thank you for putting in all the long days and near-sleepless nights to complete the work. You have done a phenomenal job, and we are proud of you!
To the Ambassador Agency: Not only have you represented us with excellence during a whirlwind season, but you also have become our friends. Special thanks to Charles Robinson for your hard work and commitment. We especially appreciate and warmly thank our agent and Ambassador Agency president, Wes Yoder, who has given countless hours serving us. You have been the man for the job. Thank you so much for your heartfelt dedication.
I, Heather, want to thank the people of my hometown of Vienna, Virginia, and Lewistown, New York, for all of their support during our imprisonment. Special thanks to Vienna Presbyterian Church for holding a prayer vigil during our ordeal and a celebration service upon our release.
I would like to honor the abiding love and support of my entire extended family. Thank you for the energy you gave doing media interviews and so much more to keep our story alive. I am forever grateful and love you all dearly.
To my sister, Haley Mercer: I am so proud of you. I believe in you. Thank you for your letters while I was in prison. They were such a source of strength in times of weakness. I lovingly remember my sister, Hannah A. Mercer, whom I will love always and always. You are never far from my heart.