Amir Hekmati Speaks for the First Time Since his Release

The Flint native and U.S. Marine who was released from an Iranian prison over the weekend is speaking about his experience for the first time.

Amir Hekmati, who spent the last four-and-a-half years behind bars, says now that he’s free – he’s never felt so alive.

As for his time in prison, Hekmati won’t say much about it, but will say his Marine training is one of the things that kept him strong.

He and the two other American prisoners spent two-and-a-half nerve-wracking days in a tiny room after first being told they were going home.

He says, at times, they wondered if they were ever going to leave.

But once they made it out of Iranian air space, aboard a Swiss airplane, Hekmati says champagne bottles were opened and they were served chocolates and veal.