Monday, August 31, 2009

Uncharted waters for Captain Richard Phillips - The Boston Globe

Uncharted waters for Captain Richard Phillips - The Boston Globe

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UNDERHILL, Vt. - For five days in April, he was at the center of a high-seas hostage drama that captured the world’s attention. Richard Phillips - the cargo ship captain held captive by Somali pirates, then rescued in a daring plan lifted straight from a made-for-TV-movie script - became a star-spangled American hero, albeit a reluctant one.

His first phone call was with family members waiting anxiously back in Vermont. His second was with President Obama, who talked NBA hoops with Phillips, a Winchester, Mass., native and hardcore Celtics fan. Jay Leno and Barbara Walters sent food baskets. Senators and talk-show producers flooded his in-box with messages. He threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game. In May, he and his wife, Andrea, had an Oval Office audience with Obama.

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