Thomas Hamill's neighbors knew all too well about
the hard times that drove the gentle family man to sell off his dairy
herd and take a high-paying but dangerous job in Iraq, where he has
been missing since he was abducted last week.
"This is a small town. It hits us hard. God bless him, he's just trying
to make a living for his family," said longtime resident Marion
Gilbertson.
Hamill fought hard to keep the dairy business that had been in his
family for three decades, working long, exhausting hours to pay off
loans to the Merchants & Farmers Bank, friends said.
But he needed to find a way to raise his two young children and pay for heart surgery needed by his wife, Kellie.He
sold his cows and milking equipment, and last September the 43-year-old
volunteer firefighter signed on to drive a fuel truck for a year in
Iraq for up to $120,000, tax free.
Last Friday, he was captured by gunmen who attacked a convoy. They
threatened to kill Hamill unless U.S. troops stopped attacking the city
of Fallujah by a Sunday morning deadline. The deadline passed and there
has been no word on his fate.