5 Facts About Terry Anderson, Journalist Who Was Held Captive In Lebanon

 Anderson was born in Ohio on October 27, 1947, and grew up in New York, graduating from Batavia High School in 1965. He served in the United States Marine Corps for six years as a combat journalist, including two tours of duty in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Anderson graduated from Iowa State University in 1974 with dual degrees in journalism and mass communication and political science. He then joined the Associated Press, serving in Asia and Africa before being assigned to Lebanon as chief Middle Eastern correspondent in 1983.

Anderson was kidnapped by the Islamic Jihad Organisation militants in Lebanon in 1985 during the country's 1975-1990 civil war while serving as the AP's Beirut bureau chief, and he was held hostage for six years, becoming the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon until his release in 1991.

Anderson went on to pen a best-selling memoir titled "Den of Lions," which recounts his experiences as a captive. 

Following his release, Anderson returned to the United States to overwhelming public support. In the years that followed, he taught at various universities before retiring a decade ago.