Iowa State alumnus and Veishea Grand Marshal Thomas Hargrove told crowds Friday that he was lucky and honored to be in Ames.

Hargrove, who graduated from ISU in 1968 with a master’s degree in agriculture journalism and a doctorate degree in agriculture education in 1977, spent 334 days in captivity under the watchful eyes of Marxist guerrillas in Columbia.

“Just a few months ago, when I was in prison in chains, I was thinking ‘God, what did I do to deserve this?’ and today I’m wondering, ‘God, what did I do to deserve this?'” Hargrove said, as he stood before the crowd as the honored keynote speaker and grand marshal.

Hargrove first thanked everyone for honoring him during Veishea.

With a tinge of irony, Hargrove blamed his captivity on American author Robert Fulghum, who has written books on how to lead a better life. Fulghum once said it is better to take the scenic route.

Hargrove was on his way to work on Sept. 23, 1994, when he decided to follow Fulghum’s advice. Unfortunately, the scenic route brought him upon people carrying pistols.

“Two guys came around the truck, wearing ski masks,” Hargrove said. “Next thing I knew, automatic weapons were being pointed at me.”

Hargrove said the kidnappers ranged in age from 13 to 19 and had intelligence levels comparable to second graders.

Hargrove was eventually put in a small cell for 48 hours at a time and was only allowed to leave his cell for three hours a day, but had to be hooked to a 15-foot chain.

Hargrove’s diary, written on two checkbooks that he kept hidden in his leather money belt, and a few small notebooks, became an obsession for him.

The guerrillas gave Hargrove two notebooks in which to write Spanish sentences, but these were the only ones the guerrillas knew about.

But on his checks and his other notebooks, given to him by a young guerrilla named Juaco, Hargrove was able to write his diary and keep them hidden away from the others.

Juaco eventually committed suicide, and the other guerrillas didn’t know he had given the notebooks to Hargrove. From there on his diary was continued without any of the guerrillas knowing about it.

“I told myself, ‘If I ever get out of here, I’ll write a book out of the diary,'” Hargrove said. “What I didn’t know was that the diary would be the book.”

His book, “Long March to Freedom,” is his entire diary, unedited.

Hargrove received little information on current events, but he does remember listening to a radio and hearing something about a bomb in Oklahoma City, and he told the crowd of that day when he heard about it. April 19 of Veishea marked the one year anniversary of the bombing. Hargrove was finally released on Aug. 21, 1995 ,and was led back home to Cali, Colombia, where he found his family waiting for him at their home.

Other highlights of the Opening Ceremonies were speeches by the general co-chairs of Veishea, President Martin Jischke and an introduction of the torch runners.

The runners began in Prairie Du Chien, Wis., and covered 450 miles with stops in Iowa City, Burlington and Des Moines.

Jischke told the crowd that this year’s Veishea would celebrate its 74th anniversary, as well as Iowa’s sesquicentennial.

“Veishea is a very special celebration for this university and the state of Iowa,” Jischke said. “Each year, Veishea celebrates Iowa’s heritage in many ways. It builds pride in Iowa’s agriculture, rural life and technological improvements.”

Shellee Novotny, general co-chair for Veishea 1996, said Veishea officials have worked hard all year to spread the word about Veishea 1996.

“There is not one inch of Veishea 1996 that everyone should not experience,” Novotny said.

Hargrove was asked to light the torch, which officially kicked off Veishea 1996. Following the lighting, Hargrove signed copies of his book.