In December, Engel and his producer Ghazi Balkiz, camera operator John Kooistra, and freelance journalist Aziz Akyavas were driving in a rebel-controlled area when a group of gunmen stormed their vehicle, dragged them from their car, executed one of the rebels they were traveling with, and held them hostage. Over five days, they were moved them from safehouse to safehouse while being subject to psychological warfare, including mock executions.

Engel’s reports from today will begin airing on NBC tomorrow.

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• HLN host Dr. Drew Pinsky says he is done with VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab” because he is “tired of taking all the heat” after the death of five former cast members. The Hollywood Reporter has details.

• Lee Cowan interviews Michelle Obama tomorrow on “CBS Sunday Morning.” The First Lady talks about gun violence, her “Let’s Move” campaign and her thoughts on what life will be like once she leaves the White House.

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When we as journalists go into the field, we know the risks we are taking. But I guess we, or at least I, always thought, “It is not going to happen to us.” But this time, it did happen to us. This does not stem from an unrealistic approach to things, events and life, because trust me: What I see in the field is very real. We cover war and conflict zones and in those situations, bad things happen and people die. The way I go about it is to plan for the worst but hope for the best.

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The rescue took place when Engel and his team were being transported to a Hezbollah stronghold in Foua.

We didn’t know how long it would take to get to Foua. But seven minutes into the trip–we were counting minutes to keep track of distances–the driver slammed on his brakes. “Checkpoint! Checkpoint!” he yelled. Through the corner of my blindfold I could see the headlights of a vehicle facing us in the road ahead.

The two gunmen exited the car and opened fire on the guards at the checkpoint. They were killed. The trail car fled.
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Engel wrote the article in a diary format, recounting to the minute what happened. Subscribers can read the full account, but the excerpt focuses on the kidnapping itself, as well as the murder of one of their bodyguards, and the psychological torture that ensued:

“Get going!” a gunman yelled at me in Arabic, pointing his weapon at my chest.

I looked at him blankly, pretending not to understand. Foreigners who speak Arabic in the Middle East are often assumed to be working for the C.I.A. or Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. The gunman took me by the finger, holding on to it by the very tip. I could have pulled it away with the smallest tug.

But then what? Then go where?

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NBC News’ anchors and correspondents, including Richard Engel, Anne Thompson, Claudio Lavanga and NBC News Vatican consultant George Weigel, have been on the ground covering Pope Benedict XVI’s final days.

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NBC News correspondent/MSNBC anchor Chris Jansing, who also covered the last Papal transition will be leaving this afternoon for several days of reporting/anchoring and will also cover the election of the next pope. In a Media Beat interview, Jansing told us covering the death of John Paul II and election of Benedict was the most fulfilling assignment of her career: “It was just an extraordinary global event and also had some personal meaning to me.” Jansing will join NBC Rome correspondent Claudio Lavagna already on scene. Richard Engel will also report.

CBS has Allen Pizzey in Rome and London correspondent Mark Phillips will be joining him.

“GMA” Weekend Anchor Dan Harris, along with David Wright, Jeffrey Kofman, and Nick Schifrin will be reporting from the Vatican. Wright covered the 2005 transition. ABC’s Cokie Roberts, whose mother served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, will provide a historical perspective.

CNN’s Rome-based correspondent Ben Wedeman will cover and will be joined by Jim Bitterman, Max Foster and Jose Levy for CNN en Español are all en route.

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“I was the last person to accept my award, and by the time it came around I was feeling pretty humbled because I was just awestruck but what incredibly compelling and diverse reports had been honored,” Ward told TVNewser. “I felt humbled and tremendously honored and very excited.”

Ward said she was particularly proud to accept the award from ABC’s Christiane Amanpour, who she called “a heroine and a role model.”

Ward and producer Ben Plesser were the first American journalists to report live from Syria with the rebels. In the past year, she has traveled to the war-torn country six times for reports that have aired on “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes.” Ward called reporting from Syria “extremely challenging,” noting the fractured nature of the conflict.

“In conventional warfare you might embed with an army, but this is a completely different kettle of fish,” she said. “You’re embedding with rebel forces and each group has its own ways and its own rules and its own methods.”

Because of this, Ward said she anticipates seeing less reporting from Syria this year.

“I think you’ll see fewer journalists spending time with the rebels, partially because of safety concerns, which are very legitimate,” Ward said. “I really want to go in only when I feel like I have a story that furthers the bigger picture.”

Ward cited the recent experience of NBC’s Richard Engel, who was held captive for several days in Syria last month. continued…

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Engel, cameraman John Kooistra , producers Ghazi Balkiz, Aziz Akyavas and Ammar Cheikh Omar arrived in the U.S. late yesterday, and Savannah Guthrie conducted the interview not long after they landed.

Guthrie asked them to raise their hands if they thought that “this is it,” that they would die in Syria. Every man raised their hand.

“There was no doubt that these were violent people and that they could have executed us at any stage,” Engel said.

WATCH:

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On “Rock Center” tonight Brian Williams will sit down with Engel, as well as producers Ghazi Balkiz and Aziz Akyavas, and cameraman John Kooistra “to hear their story first-hand.” Other stories include an Ann Curry piece on Sandy Hook and the latest from Chelsea Clinton.

On “Meet the Press” Sunday, David Gregory will sit with LaPierre in his first interview since the Newtown shooting. The NRA is slated to hold a press conference today, so whatever they announce there will surely come up in the interview.

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NBC News president Steve Capus released his first statement on the incident:

“Now that Ian Rivers has been reunited with Richard Engel’s entire production team, all of us at NBC News can breathe a huge sigh of relief and express our deep appreciation to all who helped secure their freedom. At the same time, our thoughts and concerns are with those who remain missing inside Syria and we hope for their swift and safe release.”

Engel and two of his colleagues appeared on “Today,” yesterday morning.

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In April, 2003, NBC News correspondent David Bloom died in Iraq due to a blood clot.

In June, 2003, NBC News Soundman Jeremy Little was mortally wounded in a grenade attack in Iraq. He was treated in Landstuhl, Germany but succumbed a few days later to a post-operative infection.

In January, 2006, ABC anchor Bob Woodruff and camera operator Doug Vogt were badly injured in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded next to the vehicle they were traveling in.

In May, 2006 CBS camera operator Paul Douglas and sound technician James Brolan were killed in Iraq when the U.S. Army unit they were embedded with came under attack. CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier was seriously wounded in the attack and survived.

In August, 2006 Fox News Channel correspondent Steve Centanni and camera operator Olaf Wiig were kidnapped while reporting in Gaza. Centanni’s family would make a televised plea for their safe return, and they were eventually freed. Wiig would see another incident in Egypt in 2011 (see below).

In May, 2007 ABC News camera operator Alaa Uldeen Aziz and sound technician Saif Laith Yousuf were killed in Iraq when the car they were traveling in was ambushed.

In August, 2008 Fox News camera operator Chris Jackson was injured in Afghanistan while traveling with Oliver North.

In August, 2009 CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick was injured in Afghanistan when the vehicle she was traveling in was hit by an IED.

February 2011 saw a number of incidents, particularly in Egypt:
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While Engel’s disappearance may have been newsworthy, most major news organizations have had similar situations happen to their correspondents, and almost certainly would make the same request of NBC. In 2009, The New York Times revealed that one of its reporters, David Rohde, had escaped after months of being imprisoned by the Taliban. Reporters who learned of Rohde’s kidnapping weighed the pros and cons of publishing the story, and it ultimately remained secret.

Engel hinted at the effort to withold information about his kidnapping during his “Today,” appearance, saying:

NBC was fantastic at informing our families, keeping people up to date and keeping the story quiet. While obviously we are very happy, there are still hostages, there are still people who don’t have their freedom inside Syria, and we wish them well.

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28 journalists have been killed in the country since the uprising began according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, including Japanese TV reporter Mika Yamamoto, French TV reporter Gilles Jacquier, French war photographer Rémi Ochlik and Sunday Times war reporter Marie Colvin, who was killed just hours after appearing on CNN. Most of the journalists killed were locals reporting on their own country.

In an interview with TVNewser in 2008, Engel talked about being an international correspondent. There is an appeal that sucks certain people in, towards the danger, and away from the relative safety of home.

“Something about international reporting is still very raw. You are covering a developing story and it’s like almost being a hunter-gatherer…and there is something about that I find very worthwhile. And I love doing it…I’ve been living [abroad] for 12 years. By now, living overseas is home to me.”

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The team, comprised of Engel, producer Ghazi Balkiz, camera operator John Kooistra, and freelance journalist Aziz Akyavas had been driving in Syria in a rebel-controlled area, with some of the Syrian rebels. A group of gunmen stormed their vehicle, dragged them from their car, executed one of the rebels, and held them hostage, moving them from safehouse to safehouse. Along the way, they conducted psychological warfare on Engel and his crew, including mock executions.

They were freed when the kidnappers came across a rebel checkpoint, started a gunfight with the rebels, and Engel and his team crawled from the vehicle after two of their captors had been killed. The rebels took Engel and his team to safety, and escorted them to the Turkish border.

It was a harrowing tale, which Engel recounted this morning:

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