Jim: The James Foley Story Page #3

I'm like, "Jim, it's an interview,

it's an interview. You can't do this!"

And so my dad always says that,

"Jim has a million dollar resume

and a ten cent interview."

He came and he started teaching

reading and writing, some literature

and he was really good with these kids

'cause Jim was into hip-hop and rap

and he liked to grab a mic himself.

Jim connected with these guys. He'd

find out about their backgrounds,

talk to them. I think that

really hit him.

Like he was seeing young guys that

came from terrible neighborhoods

that never really had a chance.

And I think he started seeing like, there

are people who need their stories told.

[Jim] The prison that we were

transferred to was filled

with all these political prisoners

from all walks of life.

Some were fishermen,

some were engineers.

It was the warmth of these Libyans that said,

"Here, you're our guest, take this bed.

You don't have a cigarette,

here's a cigarette," you know.

"You want an extra piece

of chicken, here."

These guys understand that I'm a

journalist and I'm trying to get the truth

and perhaps wrongly they think I'm on their

side, but I certainly feel like it now.

[chanting prayers on PA]

You know that if you are kinda without

hope, you're totally humbled,

you tend to go to your faith

if you have faith.

Praying five times a day, it was the life,

it was their only source of life in prison.

I was up nights talking to them.

Eventually, you know, one of them said,

"Why don't you pray with us?"

And I said, "No, I don't pray to east, I

pray to Jesus," when you guys are praying.

He sort of looked at me, like,

"Okay."

Well, I guess I'm experiential person

so I started praying with them.

Well, little did I know I just

proclaimed my conversion to Islam.

[audience laughing]

So from then on out, I prayed

with them five times a day

and it was just... It was so powerful and

it was something that I needed to do.

But it was difficult, I was thinking, you

know, "Jesus, am I praying to Allah?"

"Am I violating

my belief in you?"

I don't have an answer to that.

I just know that I was authentically

praying with them and I was

authentically also praying to Jesus.

[Michael]

Jim and I were very close in age,

looked enough alike that you

know, I used his ID in college,

but that's about it. We

couldn't be more different.

I mean, Jim was really different

from most of us, right?

I mean, to do what he went on

to do. It's not a normal path.

When Jim was taken in Libya, I just

went to overdrive at that point.

It's a nightmare. Each day, it becomes harder

you know, with the lack of information.

We know he's in Tripoli.

We believe he's in a detention center. We

really don't know much more beyond that.

We organized this huge group of Jimmy's

friends, we called them FOJ's. Friends Of Jim.

We had a lot of outside help, but Michael

was sort of the CEO of the group.

His statement was, you know, "There are no

immeasurables other than getting Jim home."

Our biggest fear is that it becomes

yesterday's story and people forget about it.

We love Jim and we miss him.

We want him home.

[Brian] Tell me about the release,

what was that day like for you guys?

[Reporter] After successful

diplomatic negotiations,

two American journalists and a Spanish

journalist are finally going home

after being kidnapped and detained by the

Libyan government forces for 44 days.

- What's your name?

- Manu Brabo.

- Are you okay?

- I'm fine.

If you didn't catch it the first

time around, get it from your buddy.

Guys, could you please

give them some space.

[Michael] What was really interesting

about that whole process,

there was a day where we were making some

progress and I just decided that I have to go,

I have to get on a plane and go.

I don't know, I can't...

I can't describe it.

I knew, at least felt strongly

that it was gonna work out.

And all the security guys wanted

to debrief him first,

and finally I said, "Enough of this sh*t"

and just went into the hotel room,

and I remember seeing Jim, he had a full

beard, and he just grabbed me and said,

"Mike." We both kinda just grabbed each

others arms like just to... Is it real?

I ordered pizza and as many Heinekens

as they could put on a card and

about two packs of cigarettes

because I knew that's

all they had over there.

I looked at them and I said,

"I guess I got this one."

And we just stayed up all night.

[Katie] All the family and friends, we

were all together waiting for them...

and all of a sudden we see these

blue lights just rushing at us.

We're like, "Oh, my God, this is Jim.

This is... He's actually here."

I don't know, it was like a movie. He

was just so happy to see everybody.

[Jim] You have a close call. That's pure

luck that you didn't get killed there.

It's not worth seeing your

mother or father bawling

and worrying about your grandmother

dying because you're in prison.

It's not... It's not

worth these things.

And outside in my parent's

home in a comfortable house

in New Hampshire, I sort of

had to start processing.

I was horrified to learn how much my

friends and family had done to help me.

I was inspired and I was horrified.

It was a weird feeling of like going

to your own funeral, you know?

There's no going back from

something like this.

Some of the things that I'll never be

able to change, but I wish that I could.

This is Jim's blazer from when he

spoke at Marquette, this brown one.

Bunch of stuff to go through.

Yeah, so Jim lived with us for

what, three months? Summer...

Summer after he was released from Libya?

Summer until... Yeah,

up until he went back.

He used to have all his clothes in here. You

can still see his Camelbak from the field.

- Sleeping bags.

- All his sleeping bags.

Yeah.

That was his bed right there.

He'd always crash out there.

So it was cool having Jim here, especially

after him having been gone to Libya because...

I think when he came back, you know...

Like you just wanted to touch

him a lot because...

I don't know, for me it was like, poke and

just make sure he's real and it was almost,

you're just more appreciative of

him and especially with the kids,

you know, getting to have him here

because he was always on the go.

They loved him, Uncle Jim. They'd come

downstairs at the crack of dawn and wake him up.

It was good as much as it... I

think he kind of like, you know,

had an itch he couldn't scratch

when he was domesticated.

When Jim came back from Libya, I offered

him a full-time job here as an editor

and while he sorted out what

he would do next.

And he sat right outside my office.

He was grateful to have the job,

but working in an office was clearly not

uh, what he liked the most.

He was quiet, I don't want

to say he was withdrawn...

but he was quiet.

And I just remember like, Brad my

fianc and Jim were in the basement

and Brad doesn't even remember

a time when Jim was sleeping.

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