Wasn't the mission destroyed when a sand storm in the desert downed our planes and killed our troops?
It was doomed from the beginning, before the sand storm.
Wasn't the mission destroyed when a sand storm in the desert downed our planes and killed our troops?
Yes.....lost 2 or 3 CH53's and their crews....
Finally, with the Iranians showing no signs of releasing the hostages, Carter decided to take a risk. On April 11, 1980 he approved a high-risk rescue operation, called "Desert One," that had been in the works for months.
Though the odds were against its success, the president was devastated when he had to abort the mission due to three malfunctioning helicopters. When another helicopter crashed into a C-130 transport plane while taking off, eight servicemen were killed and three more were injured. The next morning, gleeful Iranians broadcast footage of the smoking remains of the rescue attempt, a stark symbol of American impotence.
That is indeed what happened. It was a Carter disaster. After JFK, a genuine hawk who recognized the battle, our enemies sure like it when Dems are in charge of national security.