Lest we forget: April 25, 1980 Operation EAGLE CLAW - Rescue Mission for the US hostages in Iran

one man's opinion

[ken5050]

Sadly, watching the end of Hardball tonight, I just realized that today is the 25th anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw, the heroic, but doomed mission to rescue the American hostages held for over a year in the US embassy in Tehran.

[ken5050]

If you have links, remembrances, or thoughts, please add them..

[ken5050]

Matthews had some Carter admin staffer on with him..I didn't catch who. CHirs asked him what his first thought was when he heard the mission had failed..His answer, which pissed me off SO much I wanted to kick the TV set, was.."This is the end of the Carter ASdministration." Not ONE word aboutt he troops, the lives lost, the hostages still trapped...rather..all about politics..typical of the Dems..and Carter..who 24 years later, invited Michael Moore to sit in his box at the Dem convention..Some things, and people, NEVER do change..

[DoughtyOne]

Another sterling example of
Executive leadership...

From the archives of
James Earl Carter...

My our men rest in peace.

[Fintan]

Jimmy Carter's Bay of Pigs. No wonder the left adores him.

[DoughtyOne]

"MAY" our men rest in peace.

SAT

[Fyscat]

"Not ONE word aboutt he troops...."

I'm givin' a sad ooo rah.

[ken5050]

I'll never forget the night I heard the announcement. The news broke at midnight. I had been at a seminar, then dinner with clients. Got off the train just before midnight, climbed into the car, turned the radio on...it was WNEW..and the "NightBird" show, with Allison Steele, was just coming on. Those of you who remember Allison..well she was one of the great voices ever of radio. Her show was contemporary rock. She read the announcement of the failed rescue mission off the AP wire, her voice broke, then, to my eternal amazement, she played Glenn Miler's recording of "American Patrol." It was an absolutely perfect moment, the perfect way to express what we were all just starting to feel, that blend of pain, tears, pathos, and intense pride.

[bnelson44]

http://www.specwarnet.com/miscinfo/eagleclaw.htm

http://www.specialops.org/

http://www.specialops.org/history.asp

[NonValueAdded]

Thanks for posting those links.

[Nip]

This morning at Hurlburt Field Florida there was a symposium made up of the MEN who flew the mission into DESERT ONE. Plus, there was an afternoon session where other MEN talked about the schedule for the second night - the actual rescue of the hostages.

Like most things dealing with the military there wasn’t any press coverage. I am not sure, but I feel it was almost by mutual agreement. The Special Operations Community has never liked the Press because the press doyen’t know how to deal with the true warrior.

These men were young tigers when I was part of that community 26 years ago. The senior captains and junior majors of 1980 are now in their mid 50’s (like me) and older.

Of the six months between the time the Embassy was seized and that fatal night on the Iranian dry lake bed a little over 6 weeks was actually spent rehearsing the actual mission. The rest of the time was spent getting the pieces together so there could be a mission. The most interesting point in this morning’s session was when one of the leaders remarked that the priority of the rescue mission was very low until Jimmy Carter lost the first primary to Ted Kennedy; then it had the highest possible priority for a whole two months.

Before I went home today I stopped by the Hurlburt Field Chapel and talked to my friends whose names adorn the walls there. Friends from that piece of desert in Iran, another from a training accident in the Great Salt Lake, the crew from Spirit 03 lost during DESERT STORM (7 very close friends there); a name from another training accident in the Philippines, and still other names from training accidents around the world. There was Roy Boy Duncan from a flaming crash in the Indian Ocean, Jockey 14, in the mid 1990’s. Roy and I went back too many years to count. When he was buried, I made sure that he had his coin for the boatman and his hot peppers for lunch.

Then I saw other names on newer memorial plaques - Afghanistan these read. And all too shortly there will be more - these reading Albania and Iraq.

The press will ignore us because they are scared of us. The politicians will send us when the odds are stacked against us. But we go and never say no. Why? Because the tradition that started in Vietnam, was tempered in the fire of burning JP-4 on that Desert Dry Lake still burns brightly tonight.

It starts .. “I am a Commando..." and ends with "Any Time, Any Place."

[evilC]

ping

[RaceBannon]

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com

I just came back from Arlington. The reunion was good.

Met several hostages I hadn't seen before, got to create a phone reunion for some of the guys from Desert One with some of the hostages present.

It was covered by CNN and DC Channel 7

[RaceBannon]

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com

I just came back from Arlington. The reunion was good.

Met several hostages I hadn't seen before, got to create a phone reunion for some of the guys from Desert One with some of the hostages present.

It was covered by CNN and DC Channel 7

[RaceBannon]

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com

I just came back from Arlington. The reunion was good.

Met several hostages I hadn't seen before, got to create a phone reunion for some of the guys from Desert One with some of the hostages present.

It was covered by CNN and DC Channel 7

[Yehuda]

BTTT!

[firebrand]

We want pictures!

[RaceBannon]

Pictures coming


http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=3254812&nav=S6aKZ3CO

That link is of Channel 7 News from Roanoke, there is a video clip from Arlington Yesterday.

[RaceBannon]

Pictures coming


http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=3254812&nav=S6aKZ3CO

That link is of Channel 7 News from Roanoke, there is a video clip from Arlington Yesterday.

[F14 Pilot]

A watershed event

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43985

[F14 Pilot]

America Remembers Desert One Heroes

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1391686/posts

[IndyTiger]

Right after news of the failed rescue mission came out, I saw an interview with Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, who I believe was minority leader at the time. Baker said that even though the mission failed, he believed the attempted rescue was the right thing to do, and he thought it should have been tried much earlier.

That interview prompted me to write a letter of thanks to Baker for his remarks. I agreed 100 percent with what he said. Baker wrote me back a nice note which I still have somewhere.

[Fester Chugabrew]

BUMP!

[The Shrew]

I so appreciate your and your brothers in arms service and sacrifice. Thank You for this post.

Semper Fi,

TS

[Tennessee_Bob]

Having read that post - and having read your profile - I'd have to say that you're one of the officers that I would have truly respected. Sadly, I only ran into a few of those in the ten years I was in the Air Force.

I'm not a coin carrier - I twisted wrenches on Falcons and Eagles - and once was fortunate enough to help support a Spectre unit when they were at Nellis.

It's a pleasure meeting you, Sir.

[RaceBannon]

This is my site

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com

I am updating right now, so, be patient if it loads slow or changes on you all of a sudden!

[TMSuchman]

I remember that. I was in Boot Camp at MCRD San Diego, CA., Plt 3018,"I"ndia Co. 3rd Rtbn; Feb 25 1980-May 16, 1980. The Drill Instructors had piped in a radio so we could hear the news of what was going on. My high school sweetheart's cousin was trapped in the Embasy during that diaster. His name is Rock Sicmand.

[firebrand]

Excellent page on your website. Ping me if there's more.

[RaceBannon]

adding more as we speak, I just added a photos page

[RaceBannon]

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id27.html

Photos of the 25th anniversary of the Hostage Rescue Attempt

[F14 Pilot]

Nice Job RACE

[PGalt]

Bump!

[fnord]

great job on the 25th anniversary pages Race. This is one old Marine who will never forget.

Semper Fi

[firebrand]

Hit the link in Reply 29 for some moving photos taken by our rescue participant chapter member, RaceBannon.

[lysie]

Nice job.

Thanks uou.

[lysie]

Ack! Spell check, lysie.

Sheesh!

[ml/nj]

Another sterling example of
Executive leadership...

From the archives of
James Earl Carter...

I have to disagree with you.

I think this was Carter's finest hour.

You can be sure that it was not Carter's plan that failed but the plan of some General or Generals. And I wouldn't blame them either. This was not a walk in the park.

Carter wanted a plan. Give him credit for that. Not every miltary operation is destined for success.

ML/NJ

[RaceBannon]

Well, it wasn't the plan that failed either, but the exucution of the plan, and it was only one mistake, really, the rest of the stuff was accidental, purely accidental.

[DoughtyOne]

It's been quite a while since I reviewed the particulars of this effort. If I remember accurately, Carter intervened to field an effort that was much leaner than his military advisors had wanted. While the accident did doom the plan, I'm not sure that air refuling and an expanded effort might not have prevented the accident and provided more likelihood of success.

Was execution on the ground a problem? Obviously it was. Should they have been there? I'm not convinced.

The problem with guys like Carter, is that they surround themselves with people who are incompetent when it comes to military matters. He may have received good advice from members of the military, but were they over-ruled? I'm not sure.

Of course the origination of the problem was also very suspect. The situation in Iran was deteriorating. Should we have left our embassy open? I think there's good reason to believe we shouldn't have. Carter's team got caught with their pants down, even though they were content to have the ayatollah return to Iran, since they reasoned the Shah was so bad.

Of course the Shah was a piker when it came to the abuses the Ayatolah rained on his people.

I doubt very much if Saddam Hussein would have attacked Iran if the Shah had remained in power. Chalk one more problem up to Jimma. It's likely Hussein would have remained in his box if he had the Shah as a neighbor.

[CPOSharky]

Baker said that even though the mission failed, he believed the attempted rescue was the right thing to do, and he thought it should have been tried much earlier.

The USS Nimitz with the helos aboard was in place in late Janurary. Waffelin' Jimmy waited until sandstorm season started before he allowed the rescue to start.