Rep. Speier i was on an airstrip in the remote jungles of guyana having just concluded a congressional delegation tour with then congressman neal ryan and we were ambushed on that airstrip and shot. Congressman ryan was shot 45 times and died on that airstrip. There were members of the press that died. One defector of the peoples temple who died. I was shot five times on the right side of my body. A bone jetting out of my arm, a wound in my leg the size of a football. It was, oh my god, i am 28 years old, this is it. Im not going to live to be in my mid80s. I am not going to get married and have kids. Im not going to have any of those dreams fulfilled. Brian november, 1978. Why were you there . Rep. Speier i was the legislative counsel to congressman leo ryan. He had decided he wanted to take a codel down to jonestown, guyana. Brian congressional delegation. Rep. Speier congressional delegation because there were many constituents of his that had loved young Adult Children ones. Who ha
Rep. Speier i was on an airstrip in the remote jungles of guyana having just concluded a congressional delegation tour with then congressman leo ryan and we were ambushed on that airstrip and shot. Congressman ryan was shot 45 times and died on that airstrip. There were members of the press that died. One defector of the peoples temple who died. I was shot five times on the right side of my body. A bone jetting out of my arm, a wound in my leg the size of a football. It was, oh my god, i am 28 years old, this is it. Im not going to live to be in my mid80s. I am not going to get married and have kids. I am 28 years old. This is it. Im not going to have any of those dreams fulfilled. Brian november, 1978. Why were you there . Rep. Speier i was the legislative counsel to congressman leo ryan. He had decided he wanted to take a codel down to jonestown, guyana. Brian congressional delegation. Rep. Speier congressional delegation because there were many constituents of his that had loved one
Brian jackie speier, your book, undaunted, your first three words are, i was dying. Why did you start the book that way . Rep. Speier because i was. It was one of those moments in my life that were defining for me. Not many people have that experience where they are dying and survive. I had a lot to talk about. Brian why were you dying . Rep. Speier i was on an airstrip in the remote jungles of guyana having just concluded a congressional delegation tour with then congressman leo ryan , and we were ambushed on that airstrip and shot. Congressman ryan was shot 45 times and died on that airstrip. There were members of the press that died. One defector of the peoples temple who died. I was shot five times on the right side of my body. A bone jetting out of my arm, a wound in my leg the size of a football. It was, oh my god, i am 28 years old, this is it. Im not going to live to be in my mid80s. I am not going to get married and have kids. Im not going to have any of those dreams fulfilled
Listen work for are with the free cspan radio app bp. Radio app. Brian jackie speier, your book, undaunted, your first three words are, i was dying. Why did you start the book that way . Rep. Speier because i was. It was one of those moments in my life that were defining for me. Not many people have that experience where they are dying and survive. I had a lot to talk about. Brian why were you dying . Rep. Speier i was on an airstrip in the remote jungles of guyana having just concluded a congressional delegation tour with then congressman leo ryan, and we were ambushed on that airstrip and shot. Congressman ryan was shot 45 times and died on that airstrip. There were members of the press that died. One defector of the peoples temple who died. I was shot five times on the right side of my body. A bone jetting out of my arm, a wound in my leg the size of a football. It was, oh my god, i am 28 years old, this is it. Im not going to live to be in my mid80s. I am not going to get married a
To give you the good life. Who convinced his followers to kill their children and then kill themselves. Lets just be done with it. Lets be done with the agony of it. Drinking a koolaidtype fruit punch laced with deadly cyanide. This is something to put you to rest. Oh, god. 30 years later in a place where words could kill and did, there is silence. An empty field, the people gone. Almost no trace of their lives or dreams. This is the site of jonestowns openair meeting hall where im standing right now, where the reverend jim jones led his followers into the worst mass murder and suicide pact in americas history. Only small golden flowers grow where bodies once lay. On that fateful morning there were more than 940 People Living in jonestown. By nightfall only 33 would still be alive. For most of the few who did survive, it took incredible courage to defy jim jones and step away. This is their story. One of desperation and daring and in the end a story of human triumph amid horrible trage