Patriot Dreams -The Murder of Colonel Rich Higgins

Colonel Rich Higgins was a dedicated Marine assigned to the United Nations peacekeeping force in wor-torn Lebanon in 1987. In February of 1988, he was pulled from his UN jeep and taken hostage by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists. Higgins' wife, herself a career Marine Corps officer, hid her Jewish identity and dedicated her life to finding him and bringing him home. Battling bureaucracy and vindictiveness, Robin struggled to gain Rich's release. In spite of her efforts, however, Higgins was executed by his captors in retaliation for the capture of a Hezbollah cleric by the Israelis in July 1989. Hezbollah released a videotape of his corpse hanging from a rope, shown on the cover. As the Air Force Times put it, Higgins' death symbolized the frustration and impotence of American foreign policy in the Middle East in the late 1980s, a policy laced with flawed relationships, missteps, and a paralyzing inability to deal effectively with terrorist (June 7, 1999). Robin's dedication to her husband did not end with his death, however. She has continued to keep her husband's memory alive by speaking and writing about her ordeal. In October 1997, she christened a guided missile destroyer named in honour of her husband. Patriot Dreams is a story of trust and betrayal. It is a unique look at a woman under siege, fearful of the media and angry at her husband's critics, yet, in the end, Patriot Dreams is really about love, the kind that gives strength and courage, the kind that lives forever...