At the time of Ramirez’s capture, Nato forces, led by the US, were just days into a massive air campaign aimed at forcing the Yugoslav government of then Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw from Kosovo.

Jackson, then 57, already had a history of what some termed “private diplomacy” aimed at helping Americans abroad.

This included the 1984 release of a US Navy pilot captured by Syrian forces after being downed in Lebanon, the release of 22 Americans held prisoner in Cuba and the release of US citizens held by the Iraqi government in the build-up to the first Gulf War.

But in early 1999, the Clinton administration was against the idea of Jackson’s involvement, quietly warning him that the bombs would continue falling even if he went ahead.

At the same time, the Yugoslav government was making overtures to Illinois Representative – and later Governor – Rod Blagojevich, then the only Serbian-American in Congress.

“The state department wouldn’t allow me to go. I was just a junior congressman,” Blagojevich recalled to the BBC in an interview.

But at the suggestion of political consultant David Axelrod, later a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, Blagojevich teamed up with Jackson, first reaching out through his son Jesse Jr.

“Jackson refused to come unless he got access to see our soldiers. What I was able to do was get a guarantee from the government there,” Blagojevich said. “We were warned not to go because it was dangerous.”

In late April, Jackson, along with Blagojevich and a multi-faith delegation, flew to Belgrade, meeting directly with Milosovic himself in the hope of brokering a release.

“I had to convince him of what his options were,” Jackson later told the Associated Press. “One of the failures of war is a failure of diplomacy, communication and trust.”

Ramirez and the other two soldiers, Sergeant Christopher Stone and Specialist Steven Gonzales, did not know this was taking place.

“Without any explanation [the Yugoslavs] came and got us. They walked us out, handcuffed and everything, to a room. I saw CNN cameras and some other news agencies,” Ramirez said.

“And there was Reverend Jesse Jackson,” he added. “We had no knowledge, and no idea what was going on. I later joked to him that I thought the place was crazy – they even got Reverend Jackson captive!”

Behind the scenes, negotiations were still tense.

“It was a frenetic three of four days,” Blagojevich added. “Milosovic originally offered to let him take one or two of the soldiers back. Jackson was steadfast. He said we’re not going to just take one or two. We take either all of them or none of them.”

“Jesse Jackson was the central figure,” the former Illinois representative added.”I was basically just a guy carrying his bags.”