Iran Hostage Crisis Essay
being on the NEO. It was apparent the emotional and political connection the JCS, and other policymakers had to the Iran Hostage Crisis. In the beginning stages of the crisis in Grenada, they were fearful of a possible reoccurrence of what happened at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. This caused them to act in such a haste, to launch a military operation without adequate intelligence or a proper communications plan outlined. By October 19, 1983, just seven days after the coup to that removed Maurice Bishop from power, a decision was made to implement two types of military operations, NEO and combat operations. U.S. officials never weighed the potential risk of not allowing sufficient time for intelligence collection or addressing the communication issues between services. On October 23, 1983, a radical Islamic group detonated two suicide truck bombs on a building serving as barracks to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. The bombing killed 241 U.S. servicemen to include Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers. This, combined with an appeal from Sir Paul Scoon to free his country, prompted President Reagan to act expeditiously on ending the crisis in Grenada. President Reagan ordered an assault, where his priority would be the American
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students, and disarming Cuban workers and Grenadian Army. Operation Urgent Fury launched on October 25, 1983, at 0500 hours with roughly 400 Marines air assaulting a small airfield at the Pearls Airport on the Northeast side of the island.
Simultaneously, Army Rangers and Navy SEALs were to parachute in, landing near the Port Salines Airport. The Marines’ objective was to take control of the airport and the Northern side of the island. The SEALs’ objective was to rescue Governor-General Scoon at his residence while the Army Rangers were to secure the airfield and rescue the American medical students at the nearby St George’s campus. An internal navigation system failure on one of the C-130s caused the Rangers and the SEALs jump to be delayed by 36 minutes, thus costing them the element of
surprise. As the C-130s dropped to 500-feet in altitude to shorten the Rangers and SEALs decent, Cuban anti-aircraft guns began to fire at the planes. As soon as the Rangers hit their drop zone near the airport, they were met with an unexpected resistance from the Cubans who had been working on the airfield. The Cubans were even equipped with BTR 60 Armored Personnel Carriers, that opened fire on the Rangers trying to seize the airport. Eventually, C-130 gunships gave the Rangers air support and destroyed the BTR 60. By 0900, the Rangers secured the airfield and captured 250 Cubans and rescued 138 American students from the campus adjacent to the airport. They learned that the rest of the American students were at a location a few miles north of the airfield and requested reinforcements to assist (Cole, 1997). Later discovered through interrogations with the captured Cubans that they were not just workers but experienced fighters who had fought for Fidel Castro in previous campaigns. The Rangers would go on to discover enough rifles and equipment for entire battalion of fighters. Additionally, the U.S. collected information that a Cuban senior officer had been brought in to command the battalion of fighters and defend southern Grenada.
students, and disarming Cuban workers and Grenadian Army. Operation Urgent Fury launched on October 25, 1983, at 0500 hours with roughly 400 Marines air assaulting a small airfield at the Pearls Airport on the Northeast side of the island.
Simultaneously, Army Rangers and Navy SEALs were to parachute in, landing near the Port Salines Airport. The Marines’ objective was to take control of the airport and the Northern side of the island. The SEALs’ objective was to rescue Governor-General Scoon at his residence while the Army Rangers were to secure the airfield and rescue the American medical students at the nearby St George’s campus. An internal navigation system failure on one of the C-130s caused the Rangers and the SEALs jump to be delayed by 36 minutes, thus costing them the element of
surprise. As the C-130s dropped to 500-feet in altitude to shorten the Rangers and SEALs decent, Cuban anti-aircraft guns began to fire at the planes. As soon as the Rangers hit their drop zone near the airport, they were met with an unexpected resistance from the Cubans who had been working on the airfield. The Cubans were even equipped with BTR 60 Armored Personnel Carriers, that opened fire on the Rangers trying to seize the airport. Eventually, C-130 gunships gave the Rangers air support and destroyed the BTR 60. By 0900, the Rangers secured the airfield and captured 250 Cubans and rescued 138 American students from the campus adjacent to the airport. They learned that the rest of the American students were at a location a few miles north of the airfield and requested reinforcements to assist (Cole, 1997). Later discovered through interrogations with the captured Cubans that they were not just workers but experienced fighters who had fought for Fidel Castro in previous campaigns. The Rangers would go on to discover enough rifles and equipment for entire battalion of fighters. Additionally, the U.S. collected information that a Cuban senior officer had been brought in to command the battalion of fighters and defend southern Grenada.