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Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:30 pm
by Shant Kenderian
Author Appearance
Location: Home of Judy Odette, 256 So. Oakhurst Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Admission: $15.00
Parking: Street
About the Book:
Kenderian, an Iraqi-American, traces his strange odyssey from American schoolboy to Iraqi soldier and U.S. prisoner of war in this unique and informative autobiography. Kenderian was a permanent U.S. resident when he traveled to Iraq in 1980 to visit his estranged father. While there, Saddam invaded Iran and closed the country's border, stranding Kenderian, who was eventually drafted into the Iraqi navy for three and a half years. After the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam invaded Kuwait in August 1990, recalling Kenderian to active duty before he could escape. When the landing craft he was on hit a mine in the Persian Gulf—ironically placed by his own unit—the survivors were picked up by an American frigate and the relieved Kenderian became a POW. Because of his flawless English, Kenderian was a favorite of his captors, worked informally as an interpreter and even became romantically involved with a female army reservist. After much diplomatic maneuvering, the self-described "man without a country" was granted "humanitarian parole" and returned to the U.S. Kenderian's decade-long ordeal is a bittersweet story, but after acknowledging his "really bad timing," he eschews the negative for an inspirational account of perseverance and survival.
About the Author:
Shant Kenderian is an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen who was raised in Chicago. While visiting his father in Iraq in 1980, he became trapped when the Iran–Iraq War broke out, preventing him from leaving the country. He was forced to serve in the Iraqi Navy during the Iran- Iraq War and later fought in the Persian Gulf War. He was only repatriated to the United States after being taken captive in the latter war.
Mr. Kenderian received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2002. He contributed to the Space Shuttle Columbia Investigation Team and received the American Society for Nondestructive Testing Research Award for Innovation in 2005. He currently works for The Aerospace Corporation where he researches nondestructive testing.
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Web: www.americanfreedomalliance.org
Copyright © 2009-2012 American Freedom Alliance. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us