Canadian hero in Iran Hostage crisis dies at 88

Ottawa Citizen ^

[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

[fatnotlazy]

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

[Amberdawn]

Thank you Sir, RIP.

[Live Free NH]

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.

[RaceBannon]

http://www.rescueattempt.com

[Dartman]

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

[NonValueAdded]

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."

[RaceBannon]

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

[Squawk 8888]

To all- please ping me to Canadian topics.

Canada Ping!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Rock Hardplace.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping Squawk 8888.

Bump to the top.