Iran Rescue Mission Memorial
The Iran Rescue Mission Memorial commemorates the role of U.S. service members during a hostage crisis that took place amidst the Iranian Revolution of 1979. In January 1979, Iranian leader Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi fled into exile after a year of escalating protests. Iran's new leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, declared the country an Islamic republic, and his fundamentalist regime encouraged anti-American sentiment. On November 4, 1979, a group of several hundred Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 66 of its employees hostage. The captors released women and African American hostages during the next two weeks, but 53 Americans remained captive.
By the spring of 1980, diplomatic negotiations had reached a stalemate, and President Jimmy Carter authorized a secret military operation, to begin on April 24, to rescue the remaining hostages. During mission preparations, however, a helicopter collided with a transport plane, killing eight American service personnel. The rescue mission was aborted. Iran did not release the hostages until January 20, 1981 — day 444 of their captivity, and the day of President Ronald Reagan's inauguration.
Dedicated in 1983, the Iran Rescue Mission Memorial consists of a white granite column with a bronze plaque listing the names and ranks of those who lost their lives during the mission. Three of the men — Maj. Richard Bakke, Maj. Harold Lewis Jr. and Sgt. Joel Mayo — are buried in a grave marked by a common headstone, located about 25 feet from the group memorial.
Iran Rescue Mission Memorial
|
In Honor of Members of the
United States Armed Forces who
Died During an Attempt to Rescue
American Hostages Held in Iran
25 April 1980
U.S. MARINE CORPS
|
JOHN D. HARVEY
SGT
30 MAY 1958
|
GEORGE N. HOLMES JR.
CPL
20 JULY 1957
|
DEWEY L. JOHNSON
SSGT
26 MAY 1948
|
U.S. AIR FORCE
|
RICHARD L. BAKKE
MAJ
13 MAY 1946
|
HAROLD L. LEWIS, JR.
MAJ
26 FEBRUARY 1945
|
JOEL C. MAYO
TSG
26 OCTOBER 1945
|
LYN D. McINTOSH
MAJ
11 OCTOBER 1946
|
CHARLES T. McMILLAN
CAPT
4 OCTOBER 1951
|
|