Jessica Buchanan Somalia Kidnapping Ordeal Was '3 Months of Hell,' Says Husband
The husband of recently released captive Jessica Buchanan, an American, has described his wife's time spent in captivity with Somali pirates as "three months of hell."
"This morning, after going through three months of hell with Somali pirates, my amazing wife was saved by the American military and she is now in safety!" Erik Landemalm wrote on his Facebook page, according to USA Today.
"Words cannot describe the joy and relief we feel! Thank you to all that have helped and apologies to all our friends I haven't shared this with. This a day of Happiness!" he exclaimed.
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Jessica Buchanan, 32, was working as a regional education adviser at the Danish Demining Group in Somalia when she and Danish colleague Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, were kidnapped by rogue pirates on Oct. 25, 2011.
Close friends and family chose not to share her kidnapping with many for fear that extensive media coverage of Buchanan would deem her of high worth to the pirates, thus causing them to increase her ransom.
"We didn't want them to get media hype that would cause them to think that she was worth more, and they would want more of a ransom, and then it would prolong the time that she was captive, so a lot of it was hush," Christina Scolforo, close friend to Buchanan, told ABC News.
U.S. SEAL Team 6, the same elite team responsible for capturing terrorist Osama Bin Laden in May 2011, rescued Buchanan and Thisted early Wednesday after 93 days of captivity.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the decision to rescue Buchanan was hastened due to "a serious medical condition that could threaten her life."
However, media reports of Buchanan's health have been conflicting.
Buchanan was a 2007 graduate of Valley Forge Christian College, a small, private university located in Phoenixville, Pa.
Dr. Glenn McClure, Chair of the Education Department at Valley Forge Christian College, told The Christian Post that Buchanan was a very focused student who knew she wanted to work in Africa.
"If I could use one work to describe Jessica, it would be 'passionate,'" McClure told CP. He added that news of her release was "absolutely fantastic" and had evoked "happy emotions of tears" at the College.
Before graduating, Buchanan worked in Nairobi via a student teaching program. McClure kept in close contact with Buchanan during her time spent as an undergrad in Nairobi, and said he witnessed a change in Buchanan.
"God had planted this seed in her that said 'this is where I want to be,'" McClure remembers, citing Buchanan's dedication to teaching children in Africa.
The College's President Don Meyer told USA Today that Buchanan's rescue answered three months of prayers from the College community.
"We just feel this overwhelming deep sense of gratitude to God for his faithfulness in her life, gratitude to those who had the courage to put themselves in harm's way," Meyer told USA Today Wednesday.
Buchanan's father, John Buchanan, also thanks God for his daughter's safe rescue.
"We're just extremely grateful to God first, and to the US government. They've been great throughout this whole thing -- from the first day they were there, supporting us," John Buchanan told CBS News shortly after he had received the first call from his daughter, confirming her safety.
