They’re storming the gates!
When a large group of Iranian demonstrators, some of whom were armed insurgents, clashed with a Marine detachment outside the U.S. Embassy in Tehrān on Nov. 4, 1979, they breached the perimeter of the walled compound and started rounding up dozens of staff members, diplomats and a handful of C.I.A. operatives, who were in the process of shredding a plethora of classified documents.
Tensions, which had been simmering throughout the day, finally reached a boiling point after a small band of local college students, adherents of the recent Iranian Revolution, quickly turned into a violent mob numbering in the thousands.
Following a short siege, 63 American hostages were blindfolded and paraded past a group of assembled photographers as the dramatic scene played out on American television screens on that first Sunday in November.
The captors, supported by the Ayatollah Khomeini, demanded the United States return their deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, for a sham trial and public execution in exchange for the release of the hostages.
Khomeini, the leader of the resistance movement who had been previously exiled by the Shah for fifteen years, heightened the rhetoric against the “Great Satan,” as he called the U.S., stating the embassy was an “American spy den” plotting to overthrow the new regime.
For all intents and purposes, the Carter administration’s past attempts at strategic diplomacy failed miserably, resulting in this unthinkable scenario.
Meanwhile, the blond-haired minister was eating a piece of leftover fried chicken from a late lunch while watching the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Washington Redskins; and my big brother and I were deeply entrenched in a highly contentious game of billiards in the underbelly of the church parsonage, half a world away.
As Terry Bradshaw completed an unbelievable forty-nine-yard pass to Franco Harris, setting the Steelers up for a potential fourteen to seven lead with thirty seconds left in the first half, the regularly scheduled broadcast was suddenly interrupted.
Local KDKA-TV news anchor Patrice King Brown appeared on the screen with breaking news out of Iran, announcing that radical revolutionaries had overrun the U.S. Embassy.
“This is a special report,” noted the seasoned newscaster with a grave expression splashed across her face. “We have just received word that Iranian demonstrators have stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehrān and taken American hostages; so, stay tuned to your local news for more details as the situation unfolds.”
An eerie silence fell across the basement as we absorbed the shocking news.
“This is truly a dark day for our nation,” stated Dad, his voice filled with a mix of concern and disbelief. “We must pray for the safety of those hostages and hope that cooler heads prevail.”
“Do you think this means we’re going to war, Dad?” quizzed John, his tone reflecting the uncertainty of the situation after looking up from his last bank shot.
Standing by the pool table, this mild-mannered eighth grader attempted to process the gravity of what they just heard as the weight of the unfolding crisis hung heavily in the air, making their game of billiards feel inconsequential in comparison.
When regularly scheduled programming resumed, the halftime show was in full swing, featuring highlights from the first half. Among the standout moments was DeAngelo Williams’ six-yard rushing touchdown with only two seconds left on the clock.
After a restless night’s sleep, the gravity of the situation in Iran weighed heavily on my mind while devouring a stack of buttermilk pancakes accompanied by a tall glass of ice-cold moo juice the following morning.
While waiting for the miniature-sized school bus to make its usual stop directly in front of the Cape Cod-style dwelling, I found myself chomping at the bit to discuss the breaking news with my junior high school classmates.
Idle chatter about the crisis was relentless, and the tension was palpable as I navigated my way through the school day.
From hurried whispers in the hallways to animated discussions at the lunch table, the events in Iran were the topic of conversation at every turn.
As we settled into our usual spots around the six-seater lunch table in the cafeteria, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and concern.
“Did you guys hear what happened in Iran?” questioned Jeffery “Jeff” Olinger, who was always the first to speak his mind, leaned in with a serious expression. “According to my dad, this could be the precursor, which lands us smack dab in the middle of World War III!”
“This whole thing’s about oil,” interjected Robert “Magsy” Magnifico sporting a confident expression. “As one of the world’s leading producers of petroleum, they think we’re moving in on their territory; so, they’re flexing their muscles.”
Why do you think there was gas rationing at the pumps this past summer?
“I wonder if they’ll send in James Bond to save the day,” snickered Robert “Robbie” G. Brough Jr. — the class clown — attempting to lighten the mood before taking another swig of his low-fat chocolate milk.
“I’m still having a difficult believing that this is actually happening, because it definitely feels like something straight out of the Twilight Zone,” I rationalized while thinking about the gravity of the situation.
With everyone speculating on the possible outcomes and what it meant for the future, our usually lighthearted lunch table somehow felt different that day as we grappled with the reality of the unfolding crisis.
As the day wore on, the anticipation built, knowing that we would delve deeper into the issue during history — our last class of the day.
Immediately after filing into history class at the sound of the bell, Mr. Eric Miles – our illustrious history teacher — ever adept at weaving current events into our lessons, began a discussion on the crisis in Iran.
As the conversation quickly escalated, some students began suggesting drastic measures such as deporting all Iranian Americans or putting them into internment camps.
The seasoned educator immediately seized upon the moment to draw parallels to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II shortly after the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor.
He explained how fear and prejudice led to the internment of 90 percent of Japanese Americans, emphasizing the importance of learning from history to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
You could almost hear a pin drop as we absorbed the gravity of his words, realizing the profound impact current events had on our understanding of history.