Benjamin Christian Zimmerman is an American pastor, former politician, retired

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

pilot, and commercial pilot from Idaho. Zimmerman was a Republican member of

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate sea ...

Early life

On April 14, 1940, Zimmerman was born in Shasi,

Hubei Province Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

, China. Zimmerman's parents were Lutheran missionaries in China. Zimmerman has a sister, Katharine.

Education

Zimmerman attended

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a ...

and Iowa State University. In 1980, Zimmerman earned a master of divinity degree from

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Founded in 183 ...

Clayton, Missouri Clayton is a city in and the seat of St. Louis County, Missouri. It borders the independent city of St. Louis. The population was 17,355 at the 2020 census. Organized in 1877, the city was named after Ralph Clayton, who donated the land for the ...

. In 1985, Zimmerman earned a degree from

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. A ...

Career

In military, in 1959, Zimmerman served as an officer and a pilot in the US Air Force and Air National Guard and Reserve, until 1989. Zimmerman is a lieutenant colonel. In 1968, Zimmerman became a commercial pilot for

Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with F ...

, until his retirement in May 1995. In 1980, Zimmerman became a Lutheran minister, and is a pastor in Idaho. On June 14, 1985, as a flight engineer of

TWA Flight 847 Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demand ...

, his airplane was hijacked by Lebanese Shiite Muslims on a flight from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

, Greece to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. The airplane eventually landed in Beirut. Zimmerman survived a beating at the hands of the hijackers. Eventually, the passengers and crew members were released. Zimmerman returned to

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ...

, on July 4, 1985. In November 1985, Zimmerman became the author of ''Hostage in a Hostage World: Hope Aboard Hijacked TWA 847''. In May 1995, Zimmerman became a city council member of

Cascade, Idaho Cascade is a rural city in and the county seat of Valley County, Idaho, United States. The population was 939 at the 2010 census, down from 997 in 2000.

, and became council president. On November 5, 1996, Zimmerman won the election and became a Republican member of

for District 8, seat A. Zimmerman defeated Gayle Wilde with 88.6% of the votes. On November 3, 1998, as an incumbent, Zimmerman won the election unopposed and continued serving District 8, seat A. In April 2014, at age 74, Zimmerman became a pastor of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Ontario.

Awards

* 1986 Silver Medillion award, presented by Boise State University

Personal life

Zimmerman's wife is Melvia Kahale. They have three children. Zimmerman and his family live in Cascade, Idaho.

References

External links

B. Christian Zimmerman at linkedin.com

B. Christian Zimmerman at airandspace.si.edu

The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988) at IMDb
(Ben Zimmerman)
Benjamin Zimmerman at washingtonpost.com (June 16, 1985)

Benjamin Zimmerman image at historicimages.com

(select view all, restricted access)
$353 million Judgement against Iran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Christian 1940 births Living people 20th-century Lutheran clergy Concordia Theological Seminary alumni Hijacking survivors Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives United States Air Force officers American expatriates in China Boise State University alumni People from Jingzhou Trans World Airlines people Military personnel from Idaho United States Air Force reservists