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Canadian hero in Iran Hostage crisis dies at 88
Ottawa Citizen ^

Posted on 01/01/2013 6:10:05 AM PST by Rock Hardplace

OTTAWA — “Hell yes. Of course. Count on us.”

With those words to an endangered U.S. diplomat in November 1979, John Sheardown, then Canada’s top immigration official in Iran, launched what would become known as “the Canadian Caper.”

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/John+Sheardown+player+rescue+diplomats+from+Iran+dead/7761539/story.html#ixzz2GjLJsOx0

(Excerpt) Read more at ottawacitizen.com ...


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: canada; canadian; hero; hostages; iran; obituary; sheardown; waronterror

1 posted on 01/01/2013 6:10:24 AM PST by Rock Hardplace
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To: Rock Hardplace

Rest in peace, Mr. Sheardown. You and your colleagues were very brave.


2 posted on 01/01/2013 6:19:07 AM PST by fatnotlazy
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To: Rock Hardplace

Thank you Sir, RIP.


3 posted on 01/01/2013 6:22:08 AM PST by Amberdawn
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To: Rock Hardplace

Thank the Lord for John Sheardown... a risk-taking under-appreciated Canadian HERO. The U.S. will forever be grateful to him and his family. May his family & friends find comfort in knowing John’s life played a profound and pivotal part in history.


4 posted on 01/01/2013 6:41:08 AM PST by Live Free NH
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To: Rock Hardplace

http://www.rescueattempt.com


5 posted on 01/01/2013 6:45:11 AM PST by RaceBannon (When Chuck Norris goes to bed, he checks under it for Clint Eastwood!)
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To: Rock Hardplace

Good article at link. I’m sure most people thought the entire episode was about Ken Taylor. RIP John Sheardown.


6 posted on 01/01/2013 6:46:38 AM PST by Dartman
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To: Rock Hardplace
Rest In Peace, John Sheardown, and our prayers are with your loved ones. Bravo Zulu.

Confidential to Panetta and the Joint Chiefs: the proper response to a call for help is "Hell yes. Of course. Count on us."

7 posted on 01/01/2013 6:52:39 AM PST by NonValueAdded (If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you've likely misread the situation.)
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To: Rock Hardplace

Video made in 1980 on the Canadian Caper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmVEdeRZL3w

This video was made in 1980 to describe the escape from Iran by 6 Americans who were United States Embassy Employees.
Those Americans who were rescued by Canada through the Canadian Embassy in Tehran are:
Mark Lijek and his wife Cora
Joseph Stafford and his wife Kathleen
Robert Anders
Lee Schatz

The Canadien Ambassador was named Ken Taylor, and what he and his staff at the Embassy did was risk their life to rescue our people, and America owes Canada a great thanks!

Recently, Canadian Immigration offical John Sheardown passed away. He was also one of the Canadian diplomats involved in rescuing Americans, and he and his family have my heartfelt thanks!

Their escape story is now a major motion picture titled, ARGO, and opens in theaters on October 12, 2012.
http://argothemovie.warnerbros.com/

These Americans escaped while the embassy in Tehran, Iran was being overrun by Iranian communists, students, and religious zealots who were trying to assault the embassy and planned on holding our American dipomats as hostage for a few days. As the assault on the embassy unfolded and the Ayatollah Khomenie approved more and more of the events, our American diplomats and Marine Security guards remained as hostages for 444 days while being tortured to various degrees, beaten, mock executions, and imprisoned with no contact with the outside world except as propaganda.
http://www.rescueattempt.com/index.html

A brave attempt to rescue our Americans was attempted on April 24-25 1980, but ended tragically in a crash at a location known as Desert One in Iran, an advanced staging area in the Dasht-e-Kavir region of Iran, 200 miles from Teheran.
http://www.rescueattempt.com/id15.html

8 American servicemen died in that crash. Those men are:
Sgt John Harvey, USMC
Cpl George Holmes, USMC
SSgt Dewey Johnson, USMC
Major Harold Bakke, USAF
Major Harold Lewis, USAF
Captain Lyn Macintosh, USAF
TSgt Joel Mayo, USAF
Captain Charles T. Macmillan, USAF
http://www.rescueattempt.com/id14.html

A complete list of the hostages who remained captive and held illegally by Iran can be found here:
http://www.rescueattempt.com/id16.html


8 posted on 01/01/2013 7:08:30 AM PST by RaceBannon (When Chuck Norris goes to bed, he checks under it for Clint Eastwood!)
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To: Rock Hardplace; Clive; exg; Alberta's Child; albertabound; AntiKev; backhoe; Byron_the_Aussie; ...
To all- please ping me to Canadian topics.

Canada Ping!

9 posted on 01/01/2013 7:13:36 AM PST by Squawk 8888 (True North- Strong Leader, Strong Dollar, Strong and Free!)
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To: fanfan; Cincinna; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; ...

Thanks Rock Hardplace.


10 posted on 01/01/2013 12:24:48 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: Rock Hardplace

RIP.


11 posted on 01/01/2013 5:35:40 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: Rock Hardplace; RaceBannon; Squawk 8888; SunkenCiv; neverdem

Thanks for the ping Squawk 8888.

Bump to the top.


12 posted on 01/02/2013 5:27:59 PM PST by fanfan ("If Muslim kids were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war.")
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