|
"I had made that my mind from the moment I got on the boat. I was starting to get upset that I was turning into a wimp and not getting away," he said. When he tried, he failed: He jumped into the ocean and tried to swim away, but the pirates quickly recaptured him
-- and they weren't happy. "When they got mad, they verbally told me and then they physically showed me," he said. On April 12, the Navy -- in an operation approved by President Barack Obama
-- carried out its daring nighttime rescue, killing the pirates with three single shots. One of the first things Phillips did once he got home was learn how to use an AK-47. Now, he doesn't know if he'll return to the Maersk
-- or to the merchant marine life. But it's not because he's worried about piracy, he said. "If I had any trepidations, it would be part of my decision. At this point, right now, it's not. "If I had fears, that would weigh in on my decision. But I really don't have any fears, with what's been set up and some of the changes and some of the security instituted. I think there are things on (the Alabama) that would preclude anything happening again, such as my incident," he said. His yet-untitled book, to be published by Hyperion Books, will tell the story of the hijacking and his abduction. He says he's writing the memoir "just
'cause I believe it's a good story with a great ending, as far as I'm concerned." Hollywood seems to think so, too. Phillips said he is in talks with Columbia Pictures about a big-screen version of his adventure. Who should play him? Danny DeVito, he says in jest. "My wife wants George Clooney, so she can play herself. But I wouldn't do that to George," he said, laughing.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor