“What Ifs” from the Failed Iran Hostage Rescue Mission

September 22, 2014: If the mission to rescue diplomats held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1980 had succeeded, what would Special Forces and American politics look like today?

Poster Carl Savory_low resThe question will be investigated at the next National Infantry Museum Foundation Leadership Lecture Series on Thursday, October 9, at the National Infantry Museum. Guest speaker Dr. Carl Savory, a nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon who was part of the mission, will present The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission: Leadership Lessons and ‘What Ifs’.

Dr. Savory, a 1967 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, became a U.S. Army Ranger and an Infantry commander in the Vietnam War. After Vietnam, he graduated from medical school and began working on mostly routine Army cases. But that all changed when the Army called on him to put together a medical program for Delta Force and to prepare for the “Desert One” Iran hostage rescue mission that forever changed the structure and doctrine for Special Forces operations.

The public is invited to attend Dr. Savory’s captivating and thought-provoking lecture on Thursday, October 9, at the National Infantry Museum. A cash bar reception begins at 6:30 p.m.; the lecture starts at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free, but an RSVP is requested by October 6 to ensure seating for all. Please call 706-494-3708 to reserve space.