{"id":9073,"date":"2026-03-09T20:56:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=9073"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:56:26","slug":"if-i-survived-once-i-wont-stand-by-again-kevin-hermening-a-former-marine-held-hostage-in-iran-for-444-days-is-now-channeling-the-horrors-of-his-ordeal-into-a-dram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=9073","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf I survived once\u2026 I won\u2019t stand by again\u201d Kevin Hermening, a former Marine held hostage in Iran for 444 days, is now channeling the horrors of his ordeal into a dramatic congressional campaign. Those who served alongside him recall the terror, the courage, and the haunting memories that linger decades later \u2014 from Parris Island boot camp to the Cherry Point color guard after Beirut\u2019s Marine barracks bombing. Supporters say his run is more than politics; it\u2019s a promise to confront a cruel regime and ensure America\u2019s servicemen and women are never forgotten. Some call it resilience forged in fire. Others whisper that the stakes may be higher than the campaign itself\u2026 WATCH BELOW \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

One candidate on the ballot this year doesn\u2019t need a briefing book to study Tehran terror: he was held captive by the Islamic Republic for 444 days.<\/p>\n

Kevin Hermening, a Wisconsin Republican running for the House, was just a 20-year-old Marine senior sergeant when he became one of the initial 66 Americans taken hostage by Iran in November 1979.<\/p>\n

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He and other troops used tear gas in a bid to keep Iranians from storming the US embassy in Tehran.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were 10 of us who managed to hold out for an additional four hours, and during that time we were destroying classified materials and documents and computer gear, satellite equipment,\u201d said Hermening, now 66.<\/p>\n

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\"Kevin<\/p>\n<\/div>

Wisconsin Republican congressional candidate Kevin Hermening was held captive for 444 days during the Iran hostage crisis.\u00a0Courtesy of Kevin Hermening<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They surrendered after Iranians showed them State Department security official Al Golacinski, who had been handcuffed and blindfolded with a gas mask bag over his head.<\/p>\n