I was 11 years old when 52 Americans were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. Though I don’t recall all of the details, I do recall that they were held for 444 days and that during their captivity, at the suggestion of one hostage’s family member, Americans took to tying yellow ribbons around trees to symbolize their hope that the hostages would be safely returned home — a gesture inspired by the popular Tony Orlando and Dawn song.
I’ve been thinking about those yellow ribbons quite a bit lately. In the immediate aftermath of the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israel October 7th, my thoughts were on the lives lost and the evil visited upon the victims. Given the barbarity of the attack, my assumption was that those taken hostage were not long for this world. Yet clearly, there are hostages still being held — north of 200 if the information is accurate.
And while so much of the focus of the past two-and-a-half weeks has been on the unfolding conflict in the Middle East — and on the stomach-turning protests in support of Hamas, even here in the U.S. — it’s important to remember the hostages remain in Gaza. And it’s important to hold out hope for them — that they, too, will be comin’ home.
This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Wednesday, October 25. Audio included below.
