I learned last night that Captain Phillips is the brother of Jim Phillips, a Mideast expert at the Heritage Foundation. Jim and his family are, of course, overjoyed at the rescue news. Ed Feulner sent this out to THF staff this morning:
Dear Heritage Colleagues,
A member of our Board of Trustees called me Saturday and asked why Heritage had been silent on the situation with the Maersk Alabama piracy and the fate of its heroic Captain, Richard Phillips.
Now that Captain Phillips has been rescued by the U.S. Navy Seals, I can share with you, our Heritage family, the secret: Captain Phillips is the brother of our own Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs, Jim Phillips.
Because of the unpredictability of the situation and the erratic behavior of the pirates, we did not want to say anything that might jeopardize or interfere in any way with the efforts of the U.S. Government to secure the release of Captain Phillips.
Jim sent me an email last evening from Vermont, where he is staying with his family, in which he says that “this is the best Easter ever for us.”
He concluded by saying “God bless the Seals!,” to which we all say, welcome home, Captain Phillips!
Sincerely,
[Ed]
Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
President