Barry Rosen’s first view of Iran began in 1967, when he left Brooklyn for a two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer. He taught English and he learned Farsi. In many ways, Iran became a second home for Rosen. A decade later, he returned to Iran as the embassy’s press attaché and that home became his prison. On November 4, 1979 he became one of 52 Americans held under brutal conditions for 444 days by Iranian militants. Details of captivity, peculiar as well as profound, are never far from Mr. Rosen’s mind. He was threatened with automatic weapons pointed to his head, a victim of mock executions, held blindfold for days on end, tied hand and foot, and thrown into prison. Torn between his love for Iran, sensitively grounded in Peace Corps experience, and his anger and frustration over the way his captors violated Iran’s own traditions and norms, Mr.Rosen has been an advocate for the needs of hostage sand their families since his release nearly four decades ago.

While he has suffered from Post-traumatic Syndrome, he has been able to go on with his life, his family and contribute to plight of hostages held in Iran.