Captain Phillips is a famous American merchant mariner and author. He was the captain of the Maersk Alabama, which was sailing towards Mombasa, Kenya, when his life changed. He was held hostage for nearly a week, in a life boat, by Somali pirates, who hijacked his ship. He is famous for his bravery and survival in this dangerous situation. He is seen as a hero, because he did a selfless act and put his in danger for the protection of the rest of his crew members. .
Captain Phillip was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, on May 16, 1955. He graduated from Winchester High in 1973. Captain Phillips had a very difficult relationship with his father. He was constantly seeking his approval, which his father never gave. "It seemed that no matter what I did, his response would be, 'You can do better."(pg.33) Although Captain Phillips came from a family of educators he was not the most focused or determined student. For Captain Phillips school was ". a place to ogle girls, play sports, and see my friends. Sort of like church, with sports." (pg.34) Captain Phillips studied international law at UMASS Amherst. However he later transferred to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, were he graduated from in 1979. During those years he spent studying in college Captain Phillips was working as a security guard at Raytheon, shuttling checks to the Federal Reserve from the local banks. He also drove a cab in Boston. It was while he was a cab driver that he got the inspiration to become a merchant mariner. One day, while he was driving his taxi, he got a custumer who gave him a five dollar bill, which caught his attention. "If I got someone in the back of my cab who looked like he was interesting and who threw money around like it was confetti, I asked him what his job was." (pg.39) The man told him that he " carry cargo in ships", which did not realy exite Captain Phillips, but the money they made did, thus beginning his career path.