Honoring Veterans: Marine Corps Veteran Rodney Sickmann

Rodney V. “Rocky” Sickmann was born in July 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri. He joined the Marine Corps after graduating from Washington High School in 1976, and served in both the Second and Third Marine Division at Okinawa and Camp Lejeune, respectively. Sickmann then received an assignment after completing Marine Security Guard School.

Sickmann was posted to the U.S. Embassy in Iran just a few weeks before Nov. 4th, 1979, when a mob of supporters of the Islamic Revolution overran it. The mob quickly captured many of the American civilian employees, who they held at gunpoint until Sickmann and his fellow Marines were ordered to surrender. Sickmann was separated from all but two of his fellow hostages. In April 1980, after a failed rescue attempt called Operation Eagle Claw, Sickmann was placed in solitary confinement until the U.S. government finally negotiated the release of all the hostages in exchange for the return of $8 billion worth of seized Iranian assets and a promise not to meddle in Iranian affairs. The blindfolded hostages were loaded onto a plane early in the morning of Jan. 21, 1981, 444 days after they were first captured. Three months after his return, Sickmann received an honorable discharge and was decorated with a Prisoner of War Medal, a Defense Meritorious Award Medal, an Award of Valor and a Good Conduct Medal.

After his discharge, Sickmann moved to St. Louis and enjoyed a successful career in advertising, first at a local radio station and later for 34 years at a regional company. Sickmann’s diary of his captivity, Iranian Hostage: A Personal Diary of 444 Days in Captivity, was smuggled out of Iran and published in 1982. He never lost sight of his ordeal in Tehran and sometimes appears on local and national news to discuss his experience. After retiring from a sales career in 2016, Sickmann began work at Folds of Honor, a charity that gives academic scholarships to children of fallen American service members.

We honor his service. 

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Chuck Rutberg

Secondary Writer: Tayler Rairigh

Editors: Kinsey Spratt, Aditya Gulati

Researcher: Paola Negron

Graphic Designer: William Vega