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| February 15, 2026 |
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Ignoring
Clint Eastwood's advice in "Dirty Harry" that
opinions, like certain body parts, are best kept to
yourself.
 Kidnapping
is a terrifying experience that can happen to anyone,
anywhere. In the US, around 2,300 children go missing daily,
making kidnapping an alarming form of disappearance.
Kidnapping rates vary across states, including those of
strangers and familial kidnappings. Motives range from
criminal intent to political reasons or personal vendettas.
That said, protecting your family and loved ones is of
utmost importance. Kidnapping is a serious global crime that
affects both children and adults.
When I was vice
president of a bank in Billings, Montana in the early 1970's
I got a phone call at work one afternoon that "they had
my daughter", and wanted ten thousand dollars in small
bills, or I would never see her again. Ten grand doesn't
sound like much now, but back then, it was a year's salary
for most people. I made three phone calls, one to my wife at
home (no answer) another to the bank owner, who told me it
must be a hoax, but the bank would cover the ransom, and the
third to the Billings office of the FBI who told me to stay
where I was and they would be right there. Within 15
minutes, everyone was here at the bank, and we all raced to
my home, about a mile away. Hazel was home, as was my oldest
son Glenn who had just gotten home from school. My 4 year
old daughter, Annie, was nowhere to be found. Panic was
setting in. There was a park a block away where Annie liked
to play with her friends, and we all, now with FBI agents in
tow, went down there. There she was, chewing some gum she'd
peeled off the bleachers at the park's baseball field.
Crisis over, and everyone left. My son Glenn, who was a fan
of the FBI television show, said, about the agent in charge
who was wearing a checkered sports coat, "he sure
didn't look like Efren Zimbalist, Junior".
 
The
hit television show ''The FBI'' ran on television from 1965
to 1974, starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. the son of renowned
Russian-born concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist Sr.
(1889-1985) and Romanian-born opera singer Alma Gluck
(1884-1938). The FBI loved the show, which gave the agency a
very positive image.
The
next day, the FBI called to tell me that two other Billings
banks had gotten the same call. I never heard from the
kidnapper again, and he was never caught. The most
frightening experience of my life. Now, over 50 years later,
Annie is alive and well and buys her own chewing gum.
Please
visit
my
travel blog to learn more about my life on the road.
Global
Air Aviation Referral Service
I welcome
responses, and will be glad to post them here. Email your
remarks to
ron@global-air.com |
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