Robert Dean Stethem, Jr. was born on November 17, 1961 in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut. After graduating from Thomas Stone High School in 1980, he joined the US Navy, where he was trained as a diver and as a steelworker. He was assigned to the Navy Underwater Construction Team No. 1 in Norfolk, Virginia, and in 1985, the team was sent to Nea Makri, Greece, to repair a Navy Communications facility. On the return flight, TWA 847, members of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah hijacked the flight and forced it to fly to Algiers, where they demanded the release of 435 Arab prisoners held by Israel. When their demands were not met, they forced the airplane to fly to Beirut, Lebanon. Seizing the passengers' passports, the terrorists discovered several American sailors aboard the plane. They singled out Stetham and beat him senselessly for several hours, attempting to break his will.

Infuriated by his unwavering inner strength and his calm under the punishment, the hijackers then executed him and dumped his body on the ground. As they killed him with a pistol shot to the head, his last words were a prayer to God for strength. For 17 days, the hijackers kept the passengers hostage, before giving in and releasing them. Robert is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com