HELD  PRISONER  BY  IRAN  FOR  444-DAYS

Rodney Virgil Sickmann was born on July 26, 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri, enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1975, and attended recruit training at San Diego.  He served as a rifleman with the Third Marine Division on Okinawa, and with the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before applying for Marine Security Guard School.  Upon graduation, he was assigned to Tehran, reporting there on October 6, 1979.  On the morning of November 4, 1979, a large mob of loud and angry Iranians, with the support of the Government of Iran, pushed their way through the embassy gate, gained entry into the building through a basement window and were trying to ram in the front door.  The Marine guards were holding off the crowd as best they could but were under orders not to shoot.  Finally, orders were given for the Marines to fall back, the Iranians seized the embassy and SGT Sickmann became a prisoner.  He was held in captivity 444-days.  Upon his return to the U.S. he reportedly stated he “only went outside about 25 times in the past year.”  During his captivity SGT Sickmann was told by his captors that his mother had died , “and if you want to go to the funeral, tell us what you know,” they said.  The claim was a lie, and to his credit SGT Sickmann consistently refused his captor’s requests for information.

PRISONER  OF  WAR  MEDAL  CITATION

Sergeant Rodney Virgil Sickmann, United States Marine Corps, was held hostage in Iran from 4 November 1979 to 20 January 1981, while serving with the Marine Security Guard Detachment, United States Embassy, Teheran, Iran.  He was among the sixty-five Americans taken prisoner and held in captivity for 444 days by armed Iranian terrorists who were directly supported by the Government of Iran.  During this period of confinement, the Marines and other hostages were subjected to abominable conditions and constant harassment from their captors.  The hostages were continuously used in several forms of propaganda such as being paraded in front of media cameras while blind folded and hands tied behind their backs.  Throughout the duration of their captivity, the hostages were held in conditions comparable to those under which persons have generally been held captive by enemy forces during periods of armed conflict.  Despite the harsh conditions, the Marines continuously provided an example for all other Americans to emulate through their adherence to the Code of Conduct and unfaltering esprit de corps.  The motivation and positive attitude of the Marines throughout this ordeal provided many of the other hostages with the necessary leadership and courage to endure the captivity successfully.  In all thirteen cases, these Marines exemplified the professional conduct, devotion, and dignity that was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.