[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 256 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 256

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in remembrance of 
  the brave servicemen who perished in the disastrous April 24, 1980, 
            rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2005

 Mr. Saxton (for himself, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Akin, 
 Mr. Andrews, Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Marshall, Mr. LoBiondo, 
Mr. Hefley, Mr. Kline, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, and Mr. McIntyre) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in remembrance of 
  the brave servicemen who perished in the disastrous April 24, 1980, 
            rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran.

Whereas on November 4, 1979, Islamic extremists stormed the United States 
        Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American hostages, 13 of whom were 
        released on November 19 and 20, 1979;
Whereas after months of diplomatic negotiations, planning, and intergovernmental 
        debate, a complex rescue mission dubbed ``Operation Eagle Claw'' was 
        approved by President Carter on April 16, 1980;
Whereas on April 24, 1980, a Task Force comprised of United States Army Special 
        Operations Forces, Army Rangers, Air Force Special Operations Wing 
        personnel, and United States Navy, Marine, and Air Force pilots 
        succeeded in moving thousands of miles undetected until reaching a 
        remote location in the Iranian desert known by the code name ``Desert 
        One'';
Whereas due to mechanical failures and weather problems only 6 out of 8 
        helicopters successfully arrived at Desert One;
Whereas at Desert One, a combination of helicopters and MC-130/EC-130 gunships 
        rendezvoused with the intention of rescuing the hostages 200 miles away 
        in Tehran the following evening;
Whereas 6 helicopters was the minimum number of helicopters that could 
        successfully complete Operation Eagle Claw;
Whereas the bravery, dedication, and level of operational expertise of the men 
        who participated in the mission were evident from the onset and tested 
        by the mechanical and weather problems suffered in route to the 
        rendezvous point;
Whereas within minutes of the arrival of the MC-130 Combat Talon at Desert One, 
        the ground security force stopped a bus with 44 Iranians aboard and then 
        a gasoline truck was blown up when it tried to pass through a roadblock 
        that shielded the western entrance to Desert One;
Whereas once all of the helicopters had arrived, the rescue attempt was dealt 
        its final blow when it was learned that one of the helicopters had lost 
        its primary hydraulic system and was unsafe to use fully loaded for the 
        final assault on Tehran;
Whereas once the aircraft began moving into position to return to their 
        respective launching points, one of the helicopters collided with a C-
        130 aircraft on the ground;
Whereas flames engulfed the helicopter and the C-130 and resulted in the death 
        of 5 airmen and 3 Marines;
Whereas other soldiers were burned but survived, while their fellow soldiers 
        acted bravely in restoring order and managed to evacuate the wounded men 
        and salvageable equipment back to friendly territory;
Whereas Members of Congress were dismayed with the poor equipment, lack of 
        funding, and inattention given to our special operations forces that 
        came to light because of this aborted mission;
Whereas in response, legislation was enacted to form the United States Special 
        Operations Command;
Whereas USSOCOM continues to prove its immense value to our national defense as 
        witnessed by the sterling performance of our special operations forces 
        in Afghanistan, Iraq, and many other countries of the world; and
Whereas we owe a great debt of gratitude to the members and families of our 
        Special Operations Forces: Now therefore be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism of 
        the soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines who participated in 
        Operation Eagle Claw; and
            (2) commends all of the Special Operation Forces currently 
        in service.
                                 <all>