In 1978, when he was 14, his parents divorced, and Kenderian immigrated to the United States with his mother and brother, where they joined his uncles in Chicago.
Kendarian was forced to stay after all Iraqi males of military age were prohibited from leaving the country.
To put off conscription, Kendarian enrolled in the University of Technology in Baghdad, where he studied engineering.
Afterwards, Kenderian and the other surviving crew members jumped overboard, and were picked up by an American frigate, becoming prisoners of war.
[1] He contributed to the Space Shuttle Columbia Investigation Team and received the American Society for Nondestructive Testing Research Award for Innovation in 2005.