Having been under the weather this past week, I have been watching some documentaries from the past on Story TV that I have not seen before now. One was the failed 1980 hostage rescue plan of the American Embassy personnel in Iran. I had been discharged from the service in 1978, so these events had a maddening impact on me and my friends still in service. CAUTION: RANT AHEAD Even worse, because he was an ex-Navy office, I voted for the SOB. How Carter became a Naval Officer and Submarine Officer at that, is beyond me.
Rather than having you watch the show or exposing you to a ten- page rant, I have provided synopsis/ timeline of events. Takeaways I noted are:
The resultant investigation by the Defense Department (Led by Adm. Holloway, CNO) found an excessive number of operational failures and blunders for all the military to share the blame. Changes resulted in multi-service commands and creation of specialized military forces for these types of operations.
The danger and risks of having an political administration leadership and departmental bureaucracy that is politically naive, internationally inexperienced, financially corrupted, motivated solely by party goals and willing to sacrifice American’s at will, is one of the two major obstacles that lay in the future continuance of the United States as a functioning republic. On second thought, please encourage your Democratic friends, neighbors, relatives and strangers to watch a critical international situation can be bungled by a ship of fools.
Rather than having you watch the show or exposing you to a ten- page rant, I have provided synopsis/ timeline of events. Takeaways I noted are:
- Carter Administration Political Leadership lacked the knowledge, experience and will to stand up to Iran seizure of our Embassy.
- Military Leadership, during this time, was still biased by service, “assumed” American invincibility and operational planning failed miserably. Political input hamper the onsite leadership.
- Iranian took advantage of the political environment and out-performed Western diplomats.
- On 4 November 1979, fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage in the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran during the assault and take over US Embassy buildings and grounds, by Iranian Revolutionary Guard and university students. US Marines and Security personnel were expressly ordered not to resist or defend the Embassy.
- Hostage blindfolded and tied up with hands bound with plastic zip ties. Not removed for sleeping, eating or restroom usage for eight days.
- No actions including punitive actions, beyond freezing of assets, were taken by Carter Administration to convince Iran to return hostages.
- Carter announces that the US would take NO Miliary action that could potentially harm hostages. I.e. US military hands tied and Tehran given a free pass and incentive not to release hostages.
- US Marine hostage mother goes to Tehran to see son. Tehran uses her visit for propaganda purposes.
- Iran spurs all US, third party negotiations including Swiss and Red Cross. Tehran taunts US on a daily basis the feebleness and inability to stand up to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
- Carter finally authorized a rescue mission for April 24th, 1980. Secty. Of State Vance submitted resignation over using a military mission to rescue the hostages.
- Intelligence information was limited as tourist maps and gleaning information on the two hostage locations and building layout was gleaned from US newscast videos provided by Iranian news as propaganda.
- THE PLAN: Delta Force to fly in on C-130’s from Oman (refueled en-route by USAF Tankers) and meet up with CH-53 helicopters from Nimitz at Desert One landing site, approximately 600 miles from Persian Gulf. Helicopters would then refuel and load up the Ranger/Delta teams to fly the Teams an additional 260 miles to the mountain Desert Two base outside Tehran. The teams would hide eight immense helicopters during the day from any curious Iranian passerby and the following night perform the hostage rescue assault mission.
- Pre-positioned Trucks manned by CIA Intel agents were to drive Delta to Embassy, Rangers to the second hostage site and additional Rangers to a Iranian airbase. Team would force walls, eliminate the guards, rescue 52 Hostages, mount all back in trucks, drive back mountains, load into helicopters, fly back to dry lake, refuel and fly back to the Iranian airbase seized by a Ranger company while two large USAF Transport aircraft flew in and brought out the Teams and hostages.
- A concurrent punitive naval air-strike was planned to eliminate Iranian military intervention and assist the assault, but this was finally rejected on 23 April, one day prior to the commencement of the mission. USS Nimitz was expected to provide air support once the teams/hostages were aboard the C-141’s and in the air. Due to both USN and IAF both fly F-4’s and F-14’s, American aircraft were painted with WW2 like invasion stripes to provide accurate targeting. Iranians were requested to paint targets on their aircraft but the request was ignored.
- The Landing site chosen was an isolated dry lake bed with a dirt road seldom used. This was deemed the best site available and “CIA agents surveyed the lake on March 31st and found to be of hard packed sand. Added concealed landing assistance equipment was installed to assist the night landing.” WIKIPEDIA
- C-130’s helicopter refuelers, with 6,000 gallons for refueling, launched from Oman to arrive middle of night.
- Eight CH-53 helicopters launched from USS Nimitz. Six required.
- Two CH-53’s fail en-route. Six proceed on mission.
- C-130’s land at Iranian dry lake on time. Arriving aircrews found the lake covered in a un-expected six to 8 inch layer of fine dust and sand resulting from dust storms in the prior three weeks.
- Within five minutes of C-130 ‘s landing, a busload of 44 Iranians on holiday came down the road. Bus was stopped and passengers detained without harm.
- A few minutes later, a truck came down the road. M-16’s shot into the radiator failed to stop the driver. Shots at the driver failed and then an Anti-tank round was shot into the truck. The truck, a 3,000-gallon gasoline smuggling tanker, exploded into flames high in the air. A third vehicle now came down the road and the truck driver ran back un-harmed to the third truck. That truck turned around and went flying back down the road. The landing site security was now compromised.
- Helicopters new have exceeded their original ETA at desert One. While the Weather has been very clear, the helicopters run into Haboob dust storm thousands of feet high that causes flight visibility to go to zero and flight instruments to start failing due to dust contamination clogging sensors.
- Helicopters finally arrived 57 minutes late but were benefited by the resultant tanker gasoline fireball in helping the disoriented helicopters pilots finally locate Desert One. One Ch-53 failed mechanically on landing. Only five left for mission which was below mission requirements to extract assault teams and hostages.
- On-site air component commander felt the helicopters were compromised to fly both the 260 mile mission to Desert 2 and back. Decision was made to load onto C-130’s and return to Arabia.
- Col. Beckworth told Carter that he recommended ABORT of mission. Carter agrees after two and half hours of WH political discussion.
- C-130’s start to refuel helicopters for return trip but due to time running on ground for WH abort approval, fuel is low and one helicopter needs to hover fly to another C-130. It takes off but kicks up so much dust/sand from the dry lake that Visibility is zero and Helicopter unknowingly flies into the EC-130 next to it full of Delta/Ranger troops. Both aircraft explode into fireballs. Most Delta Troops escaped All C-130 Aircrew, one Marine and one Delta burn to death. Others are badly burned.
- Survivors were urgently loaded up on remaining C-130’s and flown out to avoid potential Iranian military response.
- Helicopters were to be left behind and destroyed but some were left intact. Iranians seized intact aircraft.
- C-130’a fly to Saudi Arabia and are contained at airfield. British troops upon hearing of the disaster, load up a truck with beer and drive down the flightline passing out bottles to the team. On one of the cardboard cases, one wrote: “To all of you, from all of us. for having the guts to try! Failure
- The charred, bloody bodily remains of eight dead Americans were brought to Tehran and placed on public display the Revolutionary Guard. Later, they turned over the remains to the Red Cross to return to the US.
- US Marine hostage mother chastise Carter military operation and apologizes to Iran trying to protect son.
- Three aircrew burned beyond recognition and buried in common grave.
- Carter lost election to Reagan. Won only six states and electoral college 479 to 59.
- Lame duck Carter, upon losing election, tries to one up Reagan, gives in and starts negotiating heavily with Tehran to release hostages and offers to un-freeze all Iranian assets including interest. Iranians, between giggles and probably afraid of what Reagan will do, agrees.
- The day Reagan was sworn in, 444 days after the embassy was seized, the hostages were released. The Iranians really hated Jimmy Carter.
The resultant investigation by the Defense Department (Led by Adm. Holloway, CNO) found an excessive number of operational failures and blunders for all the military to share the blame. Changes resulted in multi-service commands and creation of specialized military forces for these types of operations.
- Plan was extremely complex, optimistic and time consuming. Mission planners left open gaps and failed to recognize potential downfalls and only assume best possible results.
- Distance and timing involved were far too great for this type of time sensitive mission. Equipment selection was political.
- Leadership and Command structure was poor and did not play well between services.
- Pilot training for this type of mission, duration, environment, weather, etc. was limited and lead to fatal errors. Lack of knowledge of the area, experience, training exercises and rehearsals prevented planners from observing and providing for potential impacts or failures.
- Planners assumed Iranians would not notice the huge number of aircraft in the air and naval activities off coast.
- Planners assumed the Assault force could overcome the defenses before they could kill the hostages.
The danger and risks of having an political administration leadership and departmental bureaucracy that is politically naive, internationally inexperienced, financially corrupted, motivated solely by party goals and willing to sacrifice American’s at will, is one of the two major obstacles that lay in the future continuance of the United States as a functioning republic. On second thought, please encourage your Democratic friends, neighbors, relatives and strangers to watch a critical international situation can be bungled by a ship of fools.
