22 YEARS AGO TODAY: HOSTAGE RESCUE ATTEMPT

Hostage Rescue Attempt ^ | 04/25/02 | RaceBannon

[RaceBannon]

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Rescue Attempt in Iran, where 8 Americans died trying to rescue our hostages held by Iran.

[Lazamataz]

It scares me I remember this so vividly.

Too bad there was no Free Republic back then.

[jpl]

I'm not surprised at all; I figured he was likely a troll as soon as I saw when he signed on.

The whole cockamamie "October Surprise" theory was actually investigated by Congress over ten years ago and thoroughly discredited in every regard. The left still can't come to grips with the election of President Reagan.

[6323cd]

Remember the joke going around in December 1980 - "What's flat and glows in the dark?" Answer: Iran after Reagan's Inauguration! (sigh) - if only!

[RaceBannon]

That was Reagan. He took us into Beruit.

[RaceBannon]

You are right to say the Credit goes to the Carter administration for their release, but you are a fool to believe that Reagan delayed their release.

[laconic]

And just what evidence do you have that Reagan delayed the release of the hostages? Been reading the books about alien abductions again? Or is it Robert Scheer of Ramparts? Jane Fonda on history? Alec Baldwin on current events? Or is your source Maria Stephanopoulous who told of another imagined rape by Israeli soldiers? Just what is your source, Mr. Profound or are you just Mr. Blowhard?

[Former Proud Canadian]

I hate to disagree with you, Joe, but you have it just a bit wrong. I vividly remember the split screen live shots of Reagan being inaugurated in Washington and the hostages departing Tehran. The mullahs didn't want Reagan in power one second while they held the Americans. They were scared sh*tless.

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you Race for this and your site that is fabulous with all the pictures.

A BIG thank you !!!!!!!

[redbaiter]

Ummmm... So, Carter, with all the resources of the U.S at his disposal could not arrange their release for over a year, but this California governor can somehow arrange to delay their release? Explain. (Yer a loony)

[calmseas]

I remember it like yesterday. It's hard to believe that this was half a lifetime ago for me. This turned out to be just one more thing that contributed to Carter chewing nails sooner than he might have. But I'll bet there are at least eight American families who would have gladly given Carter a second term if they could have their loved ones back. God bless them for their sacrifice. To Jimmy Carter: This didn't need to happen. For shame! Let us never again allow our military to deteriorate to such a point that our helicopters can't even fly.

[redbaiter]

I think spitz has it about right here. The mullahs deliberately released the hostages right after Carter left office. They hated Carter intensely. They associated him with all the abuses of the Shah. In particular, Carter had (in their eyes) protected the shah after they had thrown him out. The mullahs wanted to inflict every bit of humiliation on Carter, and their way of doing so was to demonstrate that Carter could do nothing to get those people released. At the same time, they were probably getting a little tired of the hostage situation and wanted to get on with other things, like stoning women for wearing jewelry. The hostage situation was after all not of their making, but was dropped in their lap by a bunch of fanatic college students who stormed the embassy, basically proto-Taliban. It was useful for a while, but it was time to move on.

I don't buy the notion that the mullahs coughed up the hostages over fear of Reagan.

[spitz]

I did find this.

In the United States, failure to resolve the crisis contributed to Ronald Reagan’s defeat of Carter in the presidential election. After the election, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations began. On Jan. 20, 1981, the day of President Reagan’s inauguration, the United States released almost $8 billion in Iranian assets and the hostages were freed after 444 days in Iranian detention.

The Iranians may have felt that with a new president in the Whitehouse, they would be able to get a better deal somehow?

[Wasichu]

On the celebrity special version of "West Wing" last night, Carter made the statement "If I had declared war on Iran I would have been a very popular president"...an obvious dig at GW's current standings, IMHO.

Wasichu

[Dubya]

Thanks good post

[Joe Brower]

You could very well be right -- it was 45 seconds, not 45 minutes! $:-)

I was tromping around in the hills with my Marines at the time, so I didn't get to watch it on the TV. In fact, we got notified of the hostage release over the PCR-25 field radio. It was an interesting combination of cheers for the release, and curses for the fact that we weren't going to get to kill those buggers for their audacity.

[usmcobra]

I will always believe that the Marines involved took the fall in the failure of this mission.
And that the Air Force has exploited their willingness to accept the blame whenever The Desert One debacle is discussed.
And I have good reason to, I flew with the Marines that died there, and I knew just how good they were.
Sandstorms, EAPS, Gyro compasses, Hydraulic failures, Scared Marines? and with each passing year something or other is blamed for the failure of this mission
The only thing that never gets Blamed is the lack of leadership that has chosen to lay the blame elsewhere ever since it happened.
I'd seen Dewey Johnson control the taxi his CH-53 hundreds of times, and not once did he do it from the crewchief's seat inside the helo.
But it was there that he died. Kinda makes you wonder who was directing the 53 as it taxied into the C-130?

[texson66]

One MAJOR contributing factor to the failure: Jimmy's insistance on being in direct communication with the field commander of the mission. If I had been that commander, I would have put a couple of rounds into that NSA comm box pronto! WHO needs someone 10000 miles from the situation second guessing what ought to be done???

[exmarine]

I was on active duty in USMC when this occurred. I remember thinking what a weak-kneed wimpy leader Carter was. And I remember the surge in morale when Reagan was sworn in! To this day, Jimmy Carter invokes feelings of disgust in me.