American talks about capture while in Ukraine

SHOTLIST:RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 30 September 20221. Close up of Ukrainian flag outside Drueke home 2. Alex Drueke hugs his mother ANNOTATION: One of two American veterans recently released after being captured while fighting for Ukraine is talking about his experiences.3. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Drueke, Released prisoner: "We had gone out to do a recon mission and it didn't go the way that was planned. Andy and I did end up being captured. Everyone else managed to make it back to the base safe. When Andy and I were captured by Russian soldiers we were held at their outpost, their camp, for about 24 hours. We were held overnight. We were taken into Russia for a week for intensive interrogation."ASSOCIATED PRESSBirmingham, Alabama – 24 September 20224. Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh arriving at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport being reunited withANNOTATION: Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh endured three months of captivity until they were suddenly driven to an airport in Russia and released.ASSOCIATED PRESS Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 30 September 20225. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Drueke, Released prisoner: "We both said to each other that for all we went through and all the times we thought we might die, we accepted that we might die, we were ready to die when it came, that ride was the only time that each of us independently prayed for death just to get it over with.6. Alex Drueke hugs his mother STORYLINE:One of two American veterans released from Russian captivity after being captured in Ukraine says they both prayed for death during the brutal ride to freedom. Alex Drueke says he and fellow Alabamian Andy Huynh endured three months of captivity that included execution threats, physical torture, solitary confinement and food deprivation. But he says the final 24 hours were the toughest because of mental and emotional torture. Drueke tells The Associated Press that he and Huynh both prayed for death during the ride to an airport in Russia, unsure of what they would face. The men arrived back in the United States last week. Both traveled to Ukraine in the spring to help fight off the Russian invasion.===========================================================Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.