17MAY1987 Iraq attacks the USS Stark killing 37 U.S. sailors

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 17MAY1987 Iraq attacks the USS Stark killing 37 U.S. sailors

Posted: 5/17/2016 9:54:45 PM EDT

At 8:00pm local time, a Mirage F-1 fighter jet took off from Iraq’s Shaibah military airport and headed south into the Persian Gulf, flying along the Saudi Arabian coast. An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, in the air over Saudi Arabia and manned by a joint American-Saudi crew, detected the aircraft. Aboard the USS Stark, a Perry-class frigate on duty in the gulf,… radar operators picked up the Mirage when it was some 200 miles away; it was flying at 5,000 feet and traveling at 550 mph. Captain Glenn Brindel, 43, commander of the Stark, was not particularly alarmed.

He knew it was fairly common for Iraqi and Iranian warplanes to fly over the gulf. Earlier in the day, Iraqi jets had fired missiles into a Cypriot tanker, disabling the vessel. But no American vessel had been attacked. In keeping with standard procedure, Captain Brindel ordered a radio message flashed at 10:09 PM: "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself.” There was no reply. A second request was sent. Still no answer. Brindel noted that the aircraft’s pilot had not locked his targeting radar on the Stark, so he expected it to veer away. At 10:10 PM, the AWACS crew noticed that the Mirage had banked suddenly and then turned northward, as though heading for home. What they failed to detect was the launching by the Iraqi pilot of two Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles. The Exocets had a range of 40 miles and each carried a 352 lb. warhead.

For some reason, the sea-skimming missiles were not detected by the Stark’s sophisticated monitoring equipment. A lookout spotted the first Exocet just seconds before the missile struck, tearing a ten-by-fifteen-foot hole in the warship’s steel hull on the port side before ripping through the crew’s quarters. The resulting fire rushed upward into the vessel’s combat information center, disabling the electrical systems. The second missile plowed into the frigate’s superstructure. A crewman sent a distress signal with a handheld radio that was picked up by the USS Waddell, a destroyer on patrol nearby. Meanwhile, the AWACS crew requested that two airborne Saudi F-15s pursue the Iraqi Mirage. But ground controllers at Dhahran airbase said they lacked the authority to embark on such a mission, and the Mirage was safely back in Iraqi airspace before approval could be obtained.

As fires raged aboard the Stark, Brindel ordered the starboard side blooded to keep the gaping hole on the port side above the waterline. All through the night the fate of the stricken frigate was in doubt. Once the inferno was finally under control, the Stark limped back to port. The Navy immediately launched an investigation into an incident that had cost 37 American seamen their lives. The Stark was endowed with an impressive array of defenses — an MK92 fire control system that could intercept incoming aircraft at a range of 90 miles; an OTO gun that could fire three-inch anti-aircraft shells at a rate of 90 per minute; electronic defenses that could produce bogus radar images to deceive attackers; and the Phalanx, a six-barreled gun that could fire 3,000 uranium rounds a minute at incoming missiles.

Brindel insisted that his ship’s combat system was fully operational, but Navy technicians in Bahrain said the Stark’s Phalanx system had not been working properly when the frigate put out to sea. (Brindel was relieved of duty and later forced to retire.) A C141B Starlifter carried 35 flag-draped caskets to the Stark’s home base at Mayport, Florida. (Two of the crewmen were lost at sea during the attack.) President Reagan and the First Lady were on hand to extend condolences to grieving families. Reagan was under fire from Congress and the press for putting American servicemen in harm’s way on a vaguely defined mission. "We need to rethink exactly what we are doing in the Persian Gulf,” said Republican Senator Robert Dole. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution, sponsored by Dole and Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, that demanded the president explain to Congress the strategy and goals of the Persian Gulf mission — and the risks involved.

Congress was also unhappy with Saudi Arabia for what it viewed as a lackadaisical response to the request to pursue the Iraqi Mirage — so unhappy, in fact, that the administration thought it wise to delay submission of a proposal to sell new F-15 fighter jets to the Saudis. The strife in the gulf had started in 1984 when Iran and Iraq, at war since 1980, began attacking each other’s ships. Inevitably, the vessels of third countries became targets. Over 200 ships had been attacked in the past three years. The Iranians were particularly keen to target the ships of Iraq’s ally, Kuwait. Even though only 7% of American oil supplies came from the region, the Reagan administration insisted that U.S. strategic interests required a naval presence in the gulf.

Critics complained that Western Europe and Japan, which acquired 25% and 60% of their respective oil needs from the gulf, weren’t doing their part in keeping the sea lanes open. In fact, certain Western European nations had become major suppliers of military hardware to both Iran and Iraq. Damage done to the Stark had been caused by French-built missiles fired from a French-built aircraft. The administration argued that to withdraw from the gulf would be to surrender America’s role as leader of the free world, and that if oil shipments were disrupted, prices would soar, adversely affecting the U.S. economy. As one Western diplomat put it, if the U.S. backed out, it wouldn’t "have enough credibility to float a teacup.” Furthermore, the Soviet Union had increased its naval presence in the gulf, and the fear was that if the U.S. faltered, the Soviets would gain the upper hand in the region — and growing Soviet influence in the region would pose a long-term threat to the West’s oil supplies. "We will not be intimidated,” said Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. "We will not be driven from the gulf.”

He described the attack on the Stark as a "horrible error,” and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was quick to apologize for the "unintentional incident.” Evidently, the Mirage pilot had mistaken the Stark for an Iranian tanker. Iraq promised to pay compensation to the families of the 37 slain seamen, and reparations for damages to the frigate. Officially the United States was neutral in the Iran-Iraq conflict, but the administration had decided that geopolitic considerations required that Iraq not lose the war. In the aftermath of the Stark incident, the rhetoric coming out of Washington was of a forgiving nature where Iraq was concerned, while growing increasingly hostile in reference to Iran.

The White House was resolute. "The use of the vital sea lanes of the Persian Gulf will not be dictated by the Iranians,” said President Reagan during a press conference. "Those lanes will not be allowed to come under the control of the Soviet Union. The Persian Gulf will remain open to navigation by the nations of the world.” The U.S. naval presence was increased from six to nine ships. Air cover would be provided by a carrier stationed outside the gulf. The American warships would escort convoys of Kuwaiti tankers every ten days or so. Iran vowed to continue attacking Kuwaiti tankers regardless of whether they flew the Stars and Stripes.

Congress objected to the open-ended nature of this commitment. Memories of Vietnam — and of the Lebanon peacekeeping debacle in the early 1980s, during which 241 Marines were killed in their barracks by a suicide bomber — prompted many solons to insist on knowing what rules of engagement the U.S. Navy would be operating under while escorting oil tankers in the gulf. The answer: A U.S. warship could fire on any aircraft that came within 20 miles of it, on the authority of the captain. Unfortunately, the U.S. was so concerned about Iranian Sidewinder missiles being placed so as to control the Strait of Hormuz that it neglected to sweep the approaches for mines, one of which damaged an escorted tanker in July. The incident was egg on the face of the Navy, accused of sloppy mission preparation, and embarrassed the administration, which, while presiding over an unprecedented peacetime military buildup, had only three operational ocean-going minesweepers in service.

But on 21 September 1987, the military redeemed itself by conducting a successful raid involving U.S. Navy SEALS on an Iranian vessel caught laying mines. Five Iranian seamen were killed. That same week, Iran attacked a British-flagged tanker; Britain responded by shutting down Iran’s London-based arms procurement office. (By this time, British, French, Belgian, Dutch and Italian warships had joined the Americans and Soviets in patrolling the gulf.) The American raid gave some senators an excuse to push for invocation of the War Powers Act; they claimed the U.S. was clearly engaged in hostilities. The law required that the president obtain congressional approval of military action extending beyond a period of 60 days. But the Senate voted 51-40 not to invoke the law.

Following the September 21 raid, Iran amassed 60 gunboats and directed the flotilla toward Khafji, a Saudi-Kuwaiti oil facility. The USS La Salle, flagship of Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen, commander of the U.S. Navy Middle East Force, moved to intercept the gunboats, which turned back after being buzzed by Saudi warplanes. Another encounter involved an Iranian warship that locked fire control radar on a USN destroyer, the Kidd; warned off by the Kidd’s skipper, the Iranian ship sailed away. Then, on October 8, Iranian gunboats fired at a U.S. Army helicopter, missing the target but attracting the attention of two U.S. AH-6 gunship choppers, which sank one of the gunboats and damaged two others. Iran responded by firing Silkworm missiles at the U.S.-owned Liberian supertanker Sungari and the reflagged Kuwaiti tanker Sea Isle City, damaging both vessels. There were no fatalities, though the American skipper of the Sea Isle City, Captain John Hunt, was blinded.

Few doubted the U.S. would retaliate. Two weeks later, four U.S. destroyers fired over one thousand rounds of 5-in. shells into Iran’s Rashadat oil-loading platforms in the Persian Gulf — after giving the platform crews twenty minutes to evacuate. Ninety minutes of continuous shelling left the platforms smoldering ruins; SEAL commando teams exploded the pilings and sent the rubble plunging into the sea. The Iranians answered by firing another Silkworm at Sea Island, Kuwait’s deep-water oil-loading facility, destroying the loading dock. "We’re not going to have a war with Iran,” said President Reagan. "They’re not that stupid.” But it certainly seemed as though an undeclared war was already underway. A public opinion poll revealed that while 68% of Americans expected a "military exchange” between the U.S. and Iran, 60% were in favor of stronger retaliatory action against the Iranians.

The situation remained tense throughout the winter, but not until April 1988 did violence erupt once again in the Persian Gulf. Ten seamen were injured when the USN frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine on April 14. Being careful to consult with Congress this time, President Reagan ordered a retaliatory strike against two Iranian oil platforms in the southern gulf — platforms that served as bases for Iran’s intelligence service. While one platform was shelled by the frigates Simpson and Bagley, Marines helicoptered to the second, seized it, planted explosive charges, and destroyed it. A few minutes later, the Simpson sank an Iranian patrol boat that had fired a missile at the USN guided-missile cruiser Wainwright. (The Wainwright defended itself by dispensing aluminum chaff in the air, which deflected the missile.)

Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, two Iranian frigates and several gunboats were sunk by American warships and an F-14 Tomcat from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. During the day-long battle, a Cobra helicopter carrying two American crewmen was shot down by the Iranians. This defeat at sea, coupled with grave setbacks in the land war with Iraq, persuaded Iranian leaders to seek improved relations with the West. The Ayatollah Khomeini agreed with Hashemi Rafsanjani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on the need to pursue a new foreign policy that would defuse tensions in the Persian Gulf. As for the United States, its resolve in the gulf in 1987-88 improved its standing with allies, not only in the Middle East but also around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_incident

Posted: 5/17/2016 9:58:04 PM EDT

[#1]

Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

Posted: 5/17/2016 10:15:00 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

At 8:00pm local time, a Mirage F-1 fighter jet took off from Iraq’s Shaibah military airport and headed south into the Persian Gulf, flying along the Saudi Arabian coast. An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, in the air over Saudi Arabia and manned by a joint American-Saudi crew, detected the aircraft. Aboard the USS Stark, a Perry-class frigate on duty in the gulf,… radar operators picked up the Mirage when it was some 200 miles away; it was flying at 5,000 feet and traveling at 550 mph. Captain Glenn Brindel, 43, commander of the Stark, was not particularly alarmed.

He knew it was fairly common for Iraqi and Iranian warplanes to fly over the gulf. Earlier in the day, Iraqi jets had fired missiles into a Cypriot tanker, disabling the vessel. But no American vessel had been attacked. In keeping with standard procedure, Captain Brindel ordered a radio message flashed at 10:09 PM: "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself.” There was no reply. A second request was sent. Still no answer. Brindel noted that the aircraft’s pilot had not locked his targeting radar on the Stark, so he expected it to veer away. At 10:10 PM, the AWACS crew noticed that the Mirage had banked suddenly and then turned northward, as though heading for home. What they failed to detect was the launching by the Iraqi pilot of two Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles. The Exocets had a range of 40 miles and each carried a 352 lb. warhead.

For some reason, the sea-skimming missiles were not detected by the Stark’s sophisticated monitoring equipment. A lookout spotted the first Exocet just seconds before the missile struck, tearing a ten-by-fifteen-foot hole in the warship’s steel hull on the port side before ripping through the crew’s quarters. The resulting fire rushed upward into the vessel’s combat information center, disabling the electrical systems. The second missile plowed into the frigate’s superstructure. A crewman sent a distress signal with a handheld radio that was picked up by the USS Waddell, a destroyer on patrol nearby. Meanwhile, the AWACS crew requested that two airborne Saudi F-15s pursue the Iraqi Mirage. But ground controllers at Dhahran airbase said they lacked the authority to embark on such a mission, and the Mirage was safely back in Iraqi airspace before approval could be obtained.

As fires raged aboard the Stark, Brindel ordered the starboard side blooded to keep the gaping hole on the port side above the waterline. All through the night the fate of the stricken frigate was in doubt. Once the inferno was finally under control, the Stark limped back to port. The Navy immediately launched an investigation into an incident that had cost 37 American seamen their lives. The Stark was endowed with an impressive array of defenses — an MK92 fire control system that could intercept incoming aircraft at a range of 90 miles; an OTO gun that could fire three-inch anti-aircraft shells at a rate of 90 per minute; electronic defenses that could produce bogus radar images to deceive attackers; and the Phalanx, a six-barreled gun that could fire 3,000 uranium rounds a minute at incoming missiles.

Brindel insisted that his ship’s combat system was fully operational, but Navy technicians in Bahrain said the Stark’s Phalanx system had not been working properly when the frigate put out to sea. (Brindel was relieved of duty and later forced to retire.) A C141B Starlifter carried 35 flag-draped caskets to the Stark’s home base at Mayport, Florida. (Two of the crewmen were lost at sea during the attack.) President Reagan and the First Lady were on hand to extend condolences to grieving families. Reagan was under fire from Congress and the press for putting American servicemen in harm’s way on a vaguely defined mission. "We need to rethink exactly what we are doing in the Persian Gulf,” said Republican Senator Robert Dole. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution, sponsored by Dole and Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, that demanded the president explain to Congress the strategy and goals of the Persian Gulf mission — and the risks involved.

Congress was also unhappy with Saudi Arabia for what it viewed as a lackadaisical response to the request to pursue the Iraqi Mirage — so unhappy, in fact, that the administration thought it wise to delay submission of a proposal to sell new F-15 fighter jets to the Saudis. The strife in the gulf had started in 1984 when Iran and Iraq, at war since 1980, began attacking each other’s ships. Inevitably, the vessels of third countries became targets. Over 200 ships had been attacked in the past three years. The Iranians were particularly keen to target the ships of Iraq’s ally, Kuwait. Even though only 7% of American oil supplies came from the region, the Reagan administration insisted that U.S. strategic interests required a naval presence in the gulf.

Critics complained that Western Europe and Japan, which acquired 25% and 60% of their respective oil needs from the gulf, weren’t doing their part in keeping the sea lanes open. In fact, certain Western European nations had become major suppliers of military hardware to both Iran and Iraq. Damage done to the Stark had been caused by French-built missiles fired from a French-built aircraft. The administration argued that to withdraw from the gulf would be to surrender America’s role as leader of the free world, and that if oil shipments were disrupted, prices would soar, adversely affecting the U.S. economy. As one Western diplomat put it, if the U.S. backed out, it wouldn’t "have enough credibility to float a teacup.” Furthermore, the Soviet Union had increased its naval presence in the gulf, and the fear was that if the U.S. faltered, the Soviets would gain the upper hand in the region — and growing Soviet influence in the region would pose a long-term threat to the West’s oil supplies. "We will not be intimidated,” said Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. "We will not be driven from the gulf.”

He described the attack on the Stark as a "horrible error,” and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was quick to apologize for the "unintentional incident.” Evidently, the Mirage pilot had mistaken the Stark for an Iranian tanker. Iraq promised to pay compensation to the families of the 37 slain seamen, and reparations for damages to the frigate. Officially the United States was neutral in the Iran-Iraq conflict, but the administration had decided that geopolitic considerations required that Iraq not lose the war. In the aftermath of the Stark incident, the rhetoric coming out of Washington was of a forgiving nature where Iraq was concerned, while growing increasingly hostile in reference to Iran.

The White House was resolute. "The use of the vital sea lanes of the Persian Gulf will not be dictated by the Iranians,” said President Reagan during a press conference. "Those lanes will not be allowed to come under the control of the Soviet Union. The Persian Gulf will remain open to navigation by the nations of the world.” The U.S. naval presence was increased from six to nine ships. Air cover would be provided by a carrier stationed outside the gulf. The American warships would escort convoys of Kuwaiti tankers every ten days or so. Iran vowed to continue attacking Kuwaiti tankers regardless of whether they flew the Stars and Stripes.

Congress objected to the open-ended nature of this commitment. Memories of Vietnam — and of the Lebanon peacekeeping debacle in the early 1980s, during which 241 Marines were killed in their barracks by a suicide bomber — prompted many solons to insist on knowing what rules of engagement the U.S. Navy would be operating under while escorting oil tankers in the gulf. The answer: A U.S. warship could fire on any aircraft that came within 20 miles of it, on the authority of the captain. Unfortunately, the U.S. was so concerned about Iranian Sidewinder missiles being placed so as to control the Strait of Hormuz that it neglected to sweep the approaches for mines, one of which damaged an escorted tanker in July. The incident was egg on the face of the Navy, accused of sloppy mission preparation, and embarrassed the administration, which, while presiding over an unprecedented peacetime military buildup, had only three operational ocean-going minesweepers in service.

But on 21 September 1987, the military redeemed itself by conducting a successful raid involving U.S. Navy SEALS on an Iranian vessel caught laying mines. Five Iranian seamen were killed. That same week, Iran attacked a British-flagged tanker; Britain responded by shutting down Iran’s London-based arms procurement office. (By this time, British, French, Belgian, Dutch and Italian warships had joined the Americans and Soviets in patrolling the gulf.) The American raid gave some senators an excuse to push for invocation of the War Powers Act; they claimed the U.S. was clearly engaged in hostilities. The law required that the president obtain congressional approval of military action extending beyond a period of 60 days. But the Senate voted 51-40 not to invoke the law.

Following the September 21 raid, Iran amassed 60 gunboats and directed the flotilla toward Khafji, a Saudi-Kuwaiti oil facility. The USS La Salle, flagship of Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen, commander of the U.S. Navy Middle East Force, moved to intercept the gunboats, which turned back after being buzzed by Saudi warplanes. Another encounter involved an Iranian warship that locked fire control radar on a USN destroyer, the Kidd; warned off by the Kidd’s skipper, the Iranian ship sailed away. Then, on October 8, Iranian gunboats fired at a U.S. Army helicopter, missing the target but attracting the attention of two U.S. AH-6 gunship choppers, which sank one of the gunboats and damaged two others. Iran responded by firing Silkworm missiles at the U.S.-owned Liberian supertanker Sungari and the reflagged Kuwaiti tanker Sea Isle City, damaging both vessels. There were no fatalities, though the American skipper of the Sea Isle City, Captain John Hunt, was blinded.

Few doubted the U.S. would retaliate. Two weeks later, four U.S. destroyers fired over one thousand rounds of 5-in. shells into Iran’s Rashadat oil-loading platforms in the Persian Gulf — after giving the platform crews twenty minutes to evacuate. Ninety minutes of continuous shelling left the platforms smoldering ruins; SEAL commando teams exploded the pilings and sent the rubble plunging into the sea. The Iranians answered by firing another Silkworm at Sea Island, Kuwait’s deep-water oil-loading facility, destroying the loading dock. "We’re not going to have a war with Iran,” said President Reagan. "They’re not that stupid.” But it certainly seemed as though an undeclared war was already underway. A public opinion poll revealed that while 68% of Americans expected a "military exchange” between the U.S. and Iran, 60% were in favor of stronger retaliatory action against the Iranians.

The situation remained tense throughout the winter, but not until April 1988 did violence erupt once again in the Persian Gulf. Ten seamen were injured when the USN frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine on April 14. Being careful to consult with Congress this time, President Reagan ordered a retaliatory strike against two Iranian oil platforms in the southern gulf — platforms that served as bases for Iran’s intelligence service. While one platform was shelled by the frigates Simpson and Bagley, Marines helicoptered to the second, seized it, planted explosive charges, and destroyed it. A few minutes later, the Simpson sank an Iranian patrol boat that had fired a missile at the USN guided-missile cruiser Wainwright. (The Wainwright defended itself by dispensing aluminum chaff in the air, which deflected the missile.)

Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, two Iranian frigates and several gunboats were sunk by American warships and an F-14 Tomcat from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. During the day-long battle, a Cobra helicopter carrying two American crewmen was shot down by the Iranians. This defeat at sea, coupled with grave setbacks in the land war with Iraq, persuaded Iranian leaders to seek improved relations with the West. The Ayatollah Khomeini agreed with Hashemi Rafsanjani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on the need to pursue a new foreign policy that would defuse tensions in the Persian Gulf. As for the United States, its resolve in the gulf in 1987-88 improved its standing with allies, not only in the Middle East but also around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_incident

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

http://www.bluebird-electric.net/aircraft_carriers/aircraft_carriers_pictures/USS-Stark-Navy-Frigate-Persian-Gulf-Exocet-Missile-Attack-Iran-Iraq-War.jpg

http://www.defraudingamerica.com/uss_cole.jpg http://www.bluebird-electric.net/aircraft_carriers/aircraft_carriers_pictures/USS_Stark_Exocet_Missile_Attack_Crippled.jpg

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Posted: 5/17/2016 10:17:49 PM EDT

[#3]

Isn't that 2nd pic the Cole?

Posted: 5/17/2016 10:23:49 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:

Isn't that 2nd pic the Cole?

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Yes it is.

ETA: Better shot of where the Exocets (thanks France) hit:

Posted: 5/17/2016 10:27:43 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

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You do realize Iraq and Iran aren't the same country?

Posted: 5/17/2016 10:39:52 PM EDT

[#6]

Back when America had a leader with balls.

Posted: 5/18/2016 12:09:44 AM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:

Back when America had a leader with balls.

View Quote

We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

Posted: 5/18/2016 12:53:56 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
You do realize Iraq and Iran aren't the same country?

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Quoted:

Quoted:

Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

You do realize Iraq and Iran aren't the same country?

Well that and the whole... airliner full of civilians thing too.

Posted: 5/18/2016 4:38:42 AM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

Well that and the whole... airliner full of civilians thing too.

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Quoted:

Quoted:

Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

You do realize Iraq and Iran aren't the same country?

Well that and the whole... airliner full of civilians thing too.

America doesn't conduct ourselves that way.

Posted: 5/18/2016 4:47:43 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

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Posted: 5/18/2016 4:52:58 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

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Quoted:

Back when America had a leader with balls.

We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

I was waiting for this to come up.

Posted: 5/18/2016 9:42:07 AM EDT

[#12]

This is the real reason why Bush #1 should have finished the job instead of stopping because he was scared of the media reporting...

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:05:17 AM EDT

[#13]

I remember going to school that day in Jacksonville. All we knew at the time was a FFG out of Mayport had been hit, but not which one. My stepdad was out to sea on an FFG at the time. It was a rough day in a Navy town. It's probably responsible for my fixation on the movie "Iron Eagle" when I was a kid.

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:07:30 AM EDT

[#14]

I have a close friend who is disabled because of burns he suffered in the Stark Incident.

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:12:58 AM EDT

[#15]

I was 5 when this happened, and had never heard of it before this that I recall. They didn't even talk about it in Navy basic, when they were teaching us about the history.

Thanks for posting this.

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:17:07 AM EDT

[#16]

Fair winds and following seas, Shipmates.

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:24:03 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

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I'm going with horrible accident

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:49:08 AM EDT

[#18]

I remember it like yesterday. Even more so I remember when Iran over ran our embassy in Tehran in 1979 cause I was stationed at the closest base to it. We thought we were going to war over that one but Jimmy Carter didnt send us, thus allowing the Iranians to rub our faces in shit for many months. Just like they just did with those USN guys they recently captured in those small boats. http://video.foxnews.com/v/4898343072001/shocking-details-of-irans-treatment-of-us-sailors-withheld/?#sp=show-clips

If all that aint enough in Nov of '77, right before I joined the service, an Iranian buddy of mine who's mother was big into pro-Shah groups said he could get us free tickets to DC and Hotel rooms for the weekend. All we had to do was show up for a Pro-Shah rally in front of the WH one day. So off we go, a bunch of American kids, to a free trip to DC to party and whatever with whomever from some place called Iran.

So that day we go to the WH, and theres Jimmy with the Shah on the Lawn doing their thing, when all of a sudden thousands of masked lunatics with sticks come running across the parkway and charged into our group beating the living crap out of all the Pro-Shah people. Woman, kids, old people, they beat them without mercy. I mean to a pulp. We were young and we fought our way out of there but it was a big battle and I remember thinking "how in hell can these muslim fundementalists be pulling this off right in front of our main center of power"? And "what in hell was I doing there " in the first place? They were fundamentalist students and assorted rabble that were either in the country on visa's or came in illegally and they beat the shit out of a lawful gathering right in front of the WH. Eventually the Army nuked them, and us, with tear gas and we got out of there. I never went to DC again but I always thought this war started either that day or that day in Nov '79 when they over ran that embassy. And each time I happened to be there or close by.

A few pics I found of that day.
The Shah having a problem with the tear gas.

The masked fundamentalists.

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:50:05 AM EDT

[#19]

Posted: 5/18/2016 10:57:08 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
This is the real reason why Bush #1 should have finished the job instead of stopping because he was scared of the media reporting...

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He actually did the right thing, rather accidently. If not, we've would have a rise of an al-queda based ISIS in Iraq with a much stronger punch on 9/11, likely.

Sadam's prediction that balance of power in the middle east was too important for him to be executed. He was right, and Bush's son spent too much of his life partying rather than studying. So when it came time to make a decision on the Iraqi balance of power, he made the wrong one. He ignored Sadam's party in favor of Shites.

Bush made the same mistake in Afganistan by aligning with the region of the Taliban and giving them power. Thus casting aside the northern alliance.

Bush was a RINO, and no Ronald Reagan. TSA news headlines can be traced back to their genesis which was Bush. Bush rarely saw a growth in government he didn't like. Very counter to Reagan.

Posted: 5/18/2016 8:42:31 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
I'm going with horrible accident

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

Iran Air 655 was payback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

I'm going with horrible accident

Posted: 5/18/2016 8:47:47 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

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Quoted:

Back when America had a leader with balls.

We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

Reagan knew there wasn't much we could do; we only had a few ships and zero ground units in the area of operations.

Aside from lobbing a bunch of cruise missiles into Baghdad there wasn't much else he could do. And if he had done that, it would have destroyed the START talks with Gorbachev and likely brought the Russians in on Iraq's side. Furthermore, at the time the last thing the US wanted was to become Iran's de facto ally in the war against Iraq.

I know it's easy to look back and say we should have done something, but in 1987 there was very little we could have done that would not have made things even worse.

Posted: 5/18/2016 11:48:31 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

Reagan knew there wasn't much we could do; we only had a few ships and zero ground units in the area of operations.

Aside from lobbing a bunch of cruise missiles into Baghdad there wasn't much else he could do. And if he had done that, it would have destroyed the START talks with Gorbachev and likely brought the Russians in on Iraq's side. Furthermore, at the time the last thing the US wanted was to become Iran's de facto ally in the war against Iraq.

I know it's easy to look back and say we should have done something, but in 1987 there was very little we could have done that would not have made things even worse.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Back when America had a leader with balls.

We accepted the Iraqi explanation for the incident and didn't retaliate.

Reagan knew there wasn't much we could do; we only had a few ships and zero ground units in the area of operations.

Aside from lobbing a bunch of cruise missiles into Baghdad there wasn't much else he could do. And if he had done that, it would have destroyed the START talks with Gorbachev and likely brought the Russians in on Iraq's side. Furthermore, at the time the last thing the US wanted was to become Iran's de facto ally in the war against Iraq.

I know it's easy to look back and say we should have done something, but in 1987 there was very little we could have done that would not have made things even worse.

I'm not criticizing it. Just correcting the person who thinks we actually did something. Given the situation, I'm not sure there is much more that we could have done.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 17MAY1987 Iraq attacks the USS Stark killing 37 U.S. sailors

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