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Former Hostage, Iran, 1979 (How Marines Handled 444 Days of Captivity)
imao ^ | 03/08/07 | milwguy

Posted on 04/08/2007 10:11:40 AM PDT by milwguy

Commenter FormerHostage wrote a response to my question. Given his first hand experience of the 444 days Americans were held hostage by Iranian radicals from November 4th, 1979, to January 20th, 1981, I think everyone should give this a read:

As my screenname indicates, I can speak with Complete Moral Authority (tm) on this issue.

On the day of the takeover, the Marines were outnumbered at least 1000 to 1. We held the consulate and the communications vault for over 12 hours, helping to destroy equipment and classified material. We were under STRICT orders not to fire our weapons or pop gas grenades (too late for that last one..hee, hee, hee). We were eventually told that we were on or own and to make a break for it. The monkeys even put one of the diplomats in front of the comm vault peep eye with a pistol to their head and threatened to kill them unless the door was opened. It wasn't and they didn't. Once all the material was destroyed the doors were opened and they all got the crap beat out of them.

When we were first taken, the Iranians took us into a room individually and asked us to sign a statement denouncing the US policy in Iran, Israel, the Shah, etc. The Marines signed with names such as Michael Mouse, Chesty Puller, Dan Daly (google the last two...Marine Corps legends), Harry Butz, etc.

During the ordeal they would try to tape us for propaganda purposes. Personally, I would keep looking down to the ground or hide behind others so that my face wouldn't show (in fact, after a couple of months of not seeing me in any of the videos my records I was classified as MIA). Another Marine and I shared the same cell and when they came in with cameras we'd strip down. I heard a rumor that one of the other Marines smeared ketchup on his face and started howling.

They day before they released us, we were taken to a room with a camera and Mary the Terrorist who was going to interview us. We were threatened that if we didn't say the right things we wouldn't be released. Some Marines gave only name rank and SSN, others sang (Marine Corps Hymn or God Bless America), others just said nothing.

On the day they let us go, I was being herded towards the airplane by a couple of those monkeys. I pulled my arm out of their grasp and let them know that "We're number one"...but used the wrong finger.

For our troubles we were isolated, thumped, went through two mock executions, starved, threatened, and had to put up with useful idiots from Amnesty International showing up just to let the world know how humane we were being treated.

We resisted at each opportunity, except for Army Sgt Joe Subic who collaborated from day 1 and was later snubbed by the rest of us (and was the only one not to receive a citation). We refused to cooperate, stole keys, plugged toilets, pissed in their rations, blew circuit breakers, laughed in their face when they threatened us and cursed them when they beat us. Steve Kirtley even told one of them to pull his finger! The monkey did and Steve was beaten for the inevitable result.

We did this because we were first and foremost, MARINES! Our honor and loyalty to the United States gave us the courage. We would rather die (and that was a definite possibility) than to shame ourselves, our Corps, or our Country. We had to live up to our history and got to measure ourselves and our actions against those of greater men.

Yes, we broke now and then. But would immediately pick ourselves back up and go back to fighting. Which, by the way, confused the hell out of the monkeys!

Pity the poor Brits. All they had was the history of the E.U. and the U.N. as examples.

Semper Fi


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: hostage; iran; marines; usmc
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To: JemiansTerror

ping


21 posted on 04/08/2007 12:14:26 PM PDT by Jemian (PAM of JT ~~ "There is no honor for the man who runs from battle." Spc. Josh Lott)
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To: milwguy

We did this because we were first and foremost, MARINES! Our honor and loyalty to the United States gave us the courage. We would rather die (and that was a definite possibility) than to shame ourselves, our Corps, or our Country. We had to live up to our history and got to measure ourselves and our actions against those of greater men.

***
God bless you. It is only through the bravery of honorable men like you that the US and the world can be saved from the terrorists.


22 posted on 04/08/2007 12:26:08 PM PDT by Bigg Red (You are either with us or with the terrorists.)
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To: milwguy

Thank God for men like this. If we lose men like this we lose our country.


23 posted on 04/08/2007 12:52:36 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace
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To: Americanexpat
That's the weird thing. I think that TO THIS DAY Sgt. Subic is a reserve Army MP. Oh, well...!

And he goes over to Iraq to give toys out every now and then, and take lots of pictures, and sometime he even talks about HIS GLORY as a former HOSTAGE...! Google him, and you'll see.

Really to point out the Farsi speaker, this guy wasn't threatened at all. It was like he ENJOYED it, or something. He was shunned by the others. And while the others got ribbons, he got nothing.

24 posted on 04/08/2007 1:12:10 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: gaijin
More about Subic:

US Traitor SUBIC

Apparently he was discharged from REGULAR Army, got no ribbon, but did continue in the Reserves. And he became Police Chief in Warm Springs, Florida.

25 posted on 04/08/2007 1:17:41 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: gaijin
Time Magazine, April 21, 1980

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923996-5,00.html

"The militants did put one hostage in front of a TV camera to make a bizarre, prolonged "confession." Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Subic Jr. thanked the militants for being "more our servants than our captors... They give us magazines, cards and good food. They even do our washing." Then he accused the U.S. embassy of engaging in espionage. He also claimed that an officer had discussed a military coup against the Khomeini regime with a CIA man and some Iranian officers. U.S. officials in Washington dismissed Subic's charges."

26 posted on 04/08/2007 1:20:56 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: CremeSaver

“There is no shame in being captured.”

Not according to some FRs. They expect all those in the military to go down shooting.


27 posted on 04/08/2007 1:26:18 PM PDT by art_rocks
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To: art_rocks
‘’’’They expect all those in the military to go down shooting.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????

Depends on who you are fighting I guess. If you were fighting the Germans or other Euro country ya you might consider surrendering.

I would have surrendered to a North Vietnamese soldier before I did a Viet Cong or Path et Lao guerrilla. Of course there were a lot of men captured by all three of these groups who were tortured and killed.

There is no way I would surrender to haji. If I am going to die it will be on my terms I am not about to let some extremest slice and dice me for home entertainment. When I worked in Iraq as a security specialist everyone on our team vowed that if we were trapped and could not get out we would rather die fighting. A friend of mine's vehicle was disabled on a mission and he couldn't get away. A crowd of about 300 Iraqis swarmed him. He died fighting and took eight of them with him, they did some pretty bad things to his body.

The same in Afghanistan. If they turn you over to their woman you will have big big problems.

28 posted on 04/08/2007 2:10:56 PM PDT by Americanexpat (A strong democracy through citizen oversight.)
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To: art_rocks

I think many are thinking of two of our guys who were captured and tortured most horribly in Iraq. I think if I found myself surrounded by terrorists I would fight it out. I do know one thing, I would not act the way the “frightened fifteen” behaved they shamed themselves.


29 posted on 04/08/2007 3:58:56 PM PDT by CremeSaver
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To: ansel12; stylin19a; 1stbn27; 2111USMC; 2nd Bn, 11th Mar; 68 grunt; A.A. Cunningham; ASOC; ...

ansell2, do you purposefully look for USMC threads to post black cloud comments?


30 posted on 04/08/2007 4:19:10 PM PDT by freema (Marine FRiend, 1stCuz2xRemoved, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: freema

“ansell2, do you purposefully look for USMC threads to post black cloud comments?”

This thread seemed like the perfect place to get the name of one of the marines of the very hostages we are discussing. It is kind of the topic of the thread.

You might want to take a second look at the over sensitivity displayed by your question.


31 posted on 04/08/2007 4:34:50 PM PDT by ansel12 ((America, love it ,or at least give up your home citizenship before accepting ours too.))
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To: freema

“ansell2, do you purposefully look for USMC threads to post black cloud comments?”

I went through a half dozen pages of my posts to see if I could figure out what you are talking about and couldn’t find anything.

Do USMC threads even exist? Evidently I wasn’t paying attention, but can you fill me in on the specifics of why you made that post to me?


32 posted on 04/08/2007 4:49:37 PM PDT by ansel12 ((America, love it ,or at least give up your home citizenship before accepting ours too.))
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To: patton

Awesome. Thank you!!


33 posted on 04/08/2007 4:57:44 PM PDT by MonicaG (In hoc signo vinces. The whole world will see justice done.)
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To: Americanexpat

If you read some of the other threads about the Brits captured by Iran, some posters believed the Brits should have gone down fighting. They give no thought to the start of a war with another country.

Now what the Brits did in captivity is another story.


34 posted on 04/08/2007 5:23:50 PM PDT by art_rocks
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To: milwguy

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com


35 posted on 04/09/2007 2:43:01 AM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: kabar

I met Metrinko. He was a cool dude.


36 posted on 04/09/2007 2:43:37 AM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: CremeSaver

no shame in being captured?

I would say this British incident is something to be ashamed of, no shots fired, not even tear gas.

I’d be ashamed that my government had a warship operating in combat mode with no air cover or plans to ask us for it.

Id be ashamed that the ships radar didn’t pickup the Iranian ship and warn me to either fight or flight.


37 posted on 04/09/2007 2:47:12 AM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: ansel12

There were 2 Marines and 1 or 2 soldiers and I think one Air Force guy who were separated and let go with many women.


38 posted on 04/09/2007 2:48:21 AM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: OldSmaj

What a scumwaffle!!


39 posted on 04/09/2007 2:56:27 AM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: IncPen; BartMan1

ping


40 posted on 04/09/2007 3:00:04 AM PDT by Nailbiter
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