After Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, ruler Saddam Hussein recorded himself with a number of Western hostages and used the footage as propaganda.
The captives were reportedly enjoying themselves in five-star hotels while dousing themselves in poolside drinks, so the world need not be concerned. The truth, though, was quite different.
In August 1990, Jenny Chappell’s childhood was cut short at the age of thirteen. Her father, John, was a highly compensated avionics engineer, and the family had previously resided in India, Italy, and Germany. Among Jenny’s siblings were Maureen and John. They boarded a Boeing 747 at Heathrow Airport on August 1 on BA 149.
Little did Jenny and her loved ones know that the Iraqi border with Kuwait was besieged by more than 100,000 soldiers and 200 tanks, all prepared for battle. In the back of their plane was a group of soldiers part of a secret M16 unit on their way to observe the invasion.
Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait less than two hours before BA149 touched down after peace talks between the two nations had broken down. Combat units with armored vehicles started pouring over the border, with fighter bombers sent to assault Kuwait City and take over the airport.
On August 19, the Chappell family was sent to the IBI camp, a makeshift villa outside of Baghdad, along with forty-four others. The camp housed British servicemen. As food grew increasingly limited, the family ate one meal a day, often spaghetti or rice, in a bungalow that had been occupied by a British family named Lockwood.
Even though they were threatened with mock executions and had to dig their graves, the captives in the IBI camp had it more accessible than other hostages.
Returning home, Jenny had a hard time coping with her mental illness and had problems with substance abuse and suicide attempts. She first received a diagnosis of PTSD when she was fifteen years old, and her diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder was more recent. Her mental condition, which has cost her many relationships, her ability to work, and her ability to receive therapy, was not diagnosed for 30 years.
Jenny isn’t the only one who has problems; her brother, who is American by way of marriage to a Texan, is no different.
She believes that taking legal action would “start the healing process.”
