My name is Lauren Burns, and I was kidnapped at the age of seven by my Jordanian father and taken to Jordan. My mother, Cathy Hopkins, hired ex-military experts who traveled to Jordan with my mother to bring me home safely. Through a daring rescue mission, my mother and I escaped across a secured military border into Israel.
Desperate Rescue
My story was headline news in the Washington Post, New York Times, Reader’s Digest, People Magazine, and numerous others. In 1993, Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story debuted as a NBC made-for-television drama starring Mariel Hemingway based on my childhood.
My name is David Willis, I knew at a very early age that I was going into the military but didn’t know what branch. As I got older and started learning about each branch and quickly figured out that the Marines was the best. I served in the Marine Corps from 97-04. My MOS was 0311(infantry). I went to Paris Island for boot camp after boot camp I was stationed with 2nd blt 8th Marines Golf company. While with 2/8 I went on several deployments to port a prince Haiti, Okinawa, South Korea, Greece, also did two trips to Bridgeport California for cold weather training, I wasn’t going to make a Mediterranean float so I extended and joined 1st blt 8th Marines Bravo company. During my time there we deployed to the Mediterranean and had stops in Spain, Italy, Malta, Africa, and other ports. I got out of the Marines in August of 01, but 9/11 happened and was recalled to go back in where I was stationed with a mobilization support battalion and deployed.
