Posted on 11/04/2018 2:02:32 AM PST by SMGFan
Iran hostage crisis, international crisis (1979–81) in which militants in Iran seized 66 American citizens at the U.S. embassy in Tehrān and held 52 of them hostage for more than a year. The crisis, which took place during the chaotic aftermath of Iran’s Islamic revolution (1978–79) and its overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy, had dramatic effects on domestic politics in the United States and poisoned U.S.-Iranian relations for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at britannica.com ...
366 days later November 4, 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter!
And 444 days later Ronald Reagan became POTUS and the Hostages were released! January 20, 1981
Gee, I wonder if the timing was just coincidental? 😁
I spent most of 1980 off the Iranian coast, it was a very long year.
One of the people trapped in the Embassy and taken hostage was a Farsi-speaking intel operative.
Another one of the hostages buddied up to the student hostage takers, big-time, a type of Stockholm Syndrome. He disclosed the identity of actual work nature of that hostage/operative.
There was questioning, beatings, torture, mock-executions, etc.
This fink..? After the crisis and hostage repatriation he became...
A POLICE OFFICER.
Can you believe that..?
A relative of mine was one of the hostages. Definitely an interesting guy to talk to.
Same here! Camel Station, USS William H. Standley, CG-32, was designated the 'Harbormaster' of the carrier task force stationed 10-30 miles off the southern coast of Iran...several members of the crew had made port calls in recent years at Bander Abbas (renamed Bander Khomeini after the revolution.)
This was from January-April 1980. Highlights of the cruise: a boiler flare-back knocked us out temporarily halfway through this time and we had to spend ten days in Diego Garcia getting it fixed. Also two 'no-drill' General Quarters, one caused by 3 F4's the Italians had sold to Iran and came into our airspace, sans IFF, on their delivery flight, we nearly shot them down. Also, the night of the abortive hostage rescue we were at GQ in the middle of the night in the event that one of the CH-53s carrying off the survivors might have to emergency land on our only rated for Sea Stallion (I forgot the nomenclature for this helicopter) flight deck.
In addition there was Shellback Day! Also port calls in the Phillipines! Also Pattaya Beach, Thailand, Singapore, Pusan, Guam, Hawaii... Ah, the days!
I was also there during rescue operations, but nobody saw us. See tag line.
USS South Carolina, CGN 37, we were on our way to Norfolk finishing a Med cruise in November of 1979 when the Embassy was taken. Short turn around, we were on station escorting the Ike, the Nimitz group was already there, at GQ the night of the failed raid, then the Nimitz group went home. Long year.
Thank you for serving and covering our buts. There are only two types of ships in the navy...
I was trying to remmember what it was called, GONZO station in the gulf of Oman.
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