SOG remembers fallen comrades, past history

Published April 27, 2006
By Master Sgt Marilyn C. Holliday
353 Special Operations Group Public Affairs

Kadena AB, Japan -- In two distinct ceremonies steeped in Air Force traditions, members of the 353rd Special Operations Group reflected on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, while reflecting on their command's rich heritage.

Both the retreat ceremony and the combat dining out coincided with the anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw, also referred to as Desert One, a failed rescue mission in Iran, April 24, 1980. During Operation Eagle Claw, eight service members were killed while attempting to rescue 53 American hostages.

The retreat ceremony was a more solemn event April 21 at the base flag pole with flights and the base honor guard assembled. Col. Raymond Chapman, 353rd Special Operations Group commander, spoke briefly about the 1980 mission to the crowd of 200 people.

"Looking back today, I see that Operation Eagle Claw may have been a tactical failure, but it was a strategic success," Col. Raymond Chapman, 353rd Special Operations Group commander, said. "There’s no question that we would not be the force that we are today if not for that ill-fated rescue attempt on April 24, 1980, or the brave warriors that cared about one thing and one thing only – rescuing the American hostages and returning them to American soil. They adapted; they overcame and they did everything within their power to make the mission a success. But, the institutional obstacles they faced were too overwhelming."

Operation Eagle Claw was a joint services mission to rescue Americans who were being held hostage by a mob in Tehran, Iran, since Nov. 4, 1979. The plan involved all four services, eight U.S. Marine Corps helicopters RH-53s, four MC-130s, three EC-130s, three AC-130s and two C-141s. Following a multitude of mishaps, to include pilots only being able to fly at or below 200 feet to avoid radar and causing dust storms that forced helicopters to land and not follow through with the mission, inoperable helicopters, poor planning due to weather conditions and an accident that caused a C-130 and a helicopter to burst into flames, the mission was aborted.

After the failed mission, the hostages were moved and kept in locations throughout Iran and released 444 days after captivity - Jan. 20, 1981.

Because of this failed rescue attempt, the United States Special Operations Command was created and special operations forces from each of the military services are now under the overall control of USSOCOM.

“Problems from the mission were highlighted and Special Operations Forces were transformed,” Colonel Chapman said. “Never again will SOF be so ill-prepared or ill-equipped.”

The second event held in conjunction with the Operation Eagle Claw anniversary was a combat dining out, attended by 350 people in the 353rd Maintenance Squadron hangar at Kadena April 22. Retired Col. Kenneth Poole, who served with Special Forces for 24 years, served as the guest speaker.

"Although Desert One was a failure, the sacrifices of eight great men were not in vain," Colonel Poole said. "It took failure for the rebirth of special operations forces."
Colonel Poole also said that lessons learned from weather and planning factors were successfully used today. "In Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the equivalent of 20 Desert Ones were conducted flawlessly and seamlessly," Colonel Poole said. "The flame of the failure of Desert One burns in the hearts of everyone who participated in the mission. That flame has been passed and still burns in the hearts of every special operator today."

The dining out brought together spouses and members from all five squadrons of the 353rd Special Operations Group located at Kadena. Those in attendance completed a deployment processing line before making their way through an obstacle course and eventually their seats. In true special operations form, those directed to the grog bowl had to first swing across a rope located above a pool of water.