The history of the U.S. special operations forces is filled with legendary missions like the battle of Mogadishu in 1993, SEAL Team 6 killing Osama bin Laden in 2011, and the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019. But none of those would have been possible if it weren’t for a failed mission in 1980 that forced the U.S. to rewrite the special operations playbook.
In 1978 and 1979, Iran underwent their Islamic Revolution, which saw the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the installation of an Islamic Theocracy led by Ruhollah Khomeini. In a culmination of the revolution, in November of 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American hostages.
President Jimmy Carter, already reeling from a challenging presidency, now had a full-blown crisis on his hands, and planning began immediately to rescue what would end up being 53 Americans held in the Embassy.
A team made up of Delta Force operators, Rangers, Marines, and Airmen was assembled to carry out Operation Eagle Claw, a daring deep-penetration raid into the heart of Tehran involving Air Force and Navy aircraft. The force planned to fly to a site south of Tehran called “Desert One” and then on to a hide-site in Tehran, from which Delta and the Rangers would assault the embassy and free the hostages.
Months of meticulous planning were put to the test on April 24, 1980, when Air Force C-130s and Navy RH-53Ds began making their way to Desert One. Almost immediately, things went wrong.
First, a bus of Iranian civilians happened upon Desert One and was detained by Delta Force operators. Then, a passing civilian fuel truck didn’t stop and was struck by a LAW rocket, sending a plume of smoke visible for miles into the air. Of the eight helicopters that set out for the mission, only six made it to the staging area after running into mechanical problems and a dust storm. While on the ground, one helicopter suffered a catastrophic hydraulic leak and was grounded, leaving just five helicopters operational. The plan called for a minimum of six, so the mission was scrapped. Then disaster struck.
As one of the RH-53s hover-taxied to make way for a C-130 to take off, it struck the plane’s wing, crashing and causing a massive fire that engulfed both aircraft. Eight members of the team, five airmen and three Marines, were killed in the explosion: Maj. Richard Bakke, Maj. Harold Lewis Jr., Maj. Lyn McIntosh and Capt. Charles McMillan II and Tech. Sgt. Joel C. Mayo, from the 8th Special Operations Squadron, and Marine Staff Sgt. Dewey Johnson, Sgt. John Harvey and Cpl. George Holmes Jr.
The mission was a complete failure. No hostages were rescued, no enemy was engaged, eight Americans died, and Iran broadcast images of burned and abandoned US helicopters to the whole world.
Operation Eagle Claw didn’t just change how America rescued hostages. It changed how America fights wars. The aftermath led directly to the creation of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). In this video, we dive into the mission, what went wrong, and how the military took that failure and transformed it into the highly capable special operations force we have today.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- Sailors who can’t deploy will be moved to empty jobs under Navy program
- Air Force relieves commander of pilot training squadron
- US military’s highest ranking transgender officer says separation process is broken
- Army bringing in big tech executives as lieutenant colonels
- Trump reverts 7 Army bases to former names with new honorees, including Delta Force soldier
Task & Purpose Video