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Who is Austin Tice? Joe Biden wants forgotten marine vet who disappeared in Syria TEN YEARS ago sent home

Austin Tice worked for several news organizations including CBS News, The Washington Post, and McClatchy, and hailed from Texas
PUBLISHED AUG 12, 2022
President Joe Biden calls out the Syrian government for Austin Tice's captivity and hopes for them to make his safe return (Facebook/Free Austin Tice NOW,  Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden calls out the Syrian government for Austin Tice's captivity and hopes for them to make his safe return (Facebook/Free Austin Tice NOW, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden has remembered the investigative journalist who traveled to Syria almost a decade ago and has not returned since. No one has taken the responsibility for his abduction, but Biden believes that it's the Syrian government that has held him hostage despite their refusal. The person of interest here is Austin Tice who disappeared 10 years ago as he covered the country's bitter civil war. The President is now asking Syria to return the American prisoner. Biden released a statement one day before Tice's birthday, i/e. August 11, to remember him.

The 79-year-old President released a statement saying, "He is a son, he is a brother, and he is an investigative journalist who put the truth above himself and traveled to Syria to show the world the real cost of war.  We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria." Previous attempts to bring the American resident back home have repeatedly failed. Biden further says, "The Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin.  We stand with Austin’s many loved ones, and we will not rest until we bring Austin home.  Ten years is far, far too long.  So is every additional day." After 10 years of not knowing about his whereabouts, let's take a quick recap of his journey.

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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before the start of a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 03, 2022 in Washington, DC. Earlier today, President Biden spoke on a secure video call with fellow Quad Leaders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, to discuss the war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before the start of a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 03, 2022 in Washington, DC. Earlier today, President Biden spoke on a secure video call with fellow Quad Leaders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, to discuss the war in Ukraine. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Who is Austin Tice?

Austin Tice, hailing from Houston, Texas, is a freelance journalist who went missing at a checkpoint in a challenged area west of the capital Damascus. He has worked for several news organizations including CBS News, The Washington Post, and McClatchy. Tice disappeared on August 14, 2012, when he was 31 years old. However, this is not the first time that the American government has attempted to bring him back. Two years before Biden's attempt, Trump administration officials traveled to Syria to secure Tice's safe return but returned empty-handed. However, the officials in Damascus denied any negotiations with the US troops on their land.

President Joe Biden releases a statement that calls out the Syrian government for holding Austin Tice. (Facebook/Free Austin Tice NOW)
President Joe Biden releases a statement that calls out the Syrian government for holding Austin Tice. (Facebook/Free Austin Tice NOW)

Throughout a decade, Tice's parents, Marc and Debra Tice, have maintained a campaign to bring their boy back. Earlier this week, Debra told CBS News, "I've never wavered. I'm not wavering now. There's no reason not to believe that he's waiting and hoping and dreaming and planning to walk free." She continued, "The United States government has worked very hard to convince me that they're working on it. My response is: Don't tell me. Show me." Debra also said, "I know that the United States government has not reached out directly to the Syrian government to request a meeting."

Debra Tice, mother of freelance journalist Justin Tice, speaks to members of the media during an event to unveil a “#BringAustinHome” banner outside the headquarters of The Washington Post August 9, 2022 in Washington, DC. The unveiling of the banner marks 10 years since Justin Tice was kidnapped while reporting in Syria on August 14, 2012.
Debra Tice, mother of freelance journalist Justin Tice, speaks to members of the media during an event to unveil a “#BringAustinHome” banner outside the headquarters of The Washington Post August 9, 2022 in Washington, DC. The unveiling of the banner marks 10 years since Justin Tice was kidnapped while reporting in Syria on August 14, 2012. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Despite Debra's claim, Biden decided to call out Syria in his statement which reads, "We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home. On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home. There is no higher priority in my Administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.  We must name them, keep them in our hearts and our minds, and make their recovery and return a priority.  That is a pledge I have made to the American people and to Austin’s parents, and it is one that I am determined to uphold."

RELATED TOPICS TEXAS NEWS AUSTIN NEWS
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