FORTY-FIVE

GENERAL VAUGHT AND I hadn’t slept for a long time. We didn’t sleep any on the flight back across Europe to Washington. In the plane, we discussed over and over what had happened and what we thought would happen. I learned then that the choppers, when they had been put on Nimitz, were not accompanied by any of our own maintenance people. It was like having your neighbor knock on the door and ask you to take care of his dog while he’s gone, but then not giving you any dog food. The carrier provided their own maintenance to the Sea Stallions. These mechanics and their officers had no idea what the choppers were going to be used for. Who knows how they were handled? I know that two of them never got to Desert One. In Vietnam, the people in the high-risk, special ops business who relied on choppers learned they had to put their own mechanics to work on the helos. A helicopter needs tender loving care. In special ops when a chopper doesn’t crank, it’s usually a matter of life and death. In the regular Army or Navy it isn’t. That’s a big difference.

I learned that the pilot who had been killed on the 130 was Richard Bakke. At Hurlburt, during the Air Force’s training phase, Bakke had seemed to be the pilot who always led the way in dirt landings and takeoffs, and low-level flying. Getting in and out of Iran was one fine piece of airmanship. Those Air Force pilots did a hell of a job, and there was none of them better than Rick Bakke.

We landed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and were greeted by General Otis. He was professional and, of course, very sympathetic. General Vaught went off with him to the Pentagon. I suspected General Vaught wouldn’t get to sleep for several more hours.

As Blue Element was transloading from the StarLifter to a C-130 for the return to Camp Smokey, the aircraft crew chief, who hadn’t a clue who these men were, delivered a verbose, professional emergency-proceedings briefing, which covered how to exit a 130 if it should catch on fire. When he was through, the guys, many of them with singed hair and still smelling of smoke, gave him a standing ovation.

Delta and I flew back to Camp Smokey early Sunday morning and, once the men were settled, I, too, found my cot and fell asleep at once.

At 1100 hours, Sunday morning, April 27, I got a phone call from the JCS, on secure, stating the President would arrive our location that afternoon and that more details would follow.

General Vaught and General Jones arrived around noon and they had lunch with us. The Marine pilots, the drivers, and their Farsi-speaking translators were also there.

Although it hadn’t rained, the day was cool and cloudy. Because Camp Smokey was nearly socked in, the presidential helicopter came in very low.

President Carter was accompanied by Dr. Brzezinski, Dr. Brown, and two secret service agents.

When the President came over to me, I apologized for the mission’s failure. Walking over to the hangar where the men had assembled, he put his arm around me.

General Vaught climbed up on a platform and gave a short Knute Rockne speech. The troops were lined up in military formation, but wore civilian clothes. When he was finished, General Vaught introduced President Carter.

He spoke softly and sincerely.

No matter what happened, he appreciated what these men had done for their country. Then he expressed his concern for the hostages, who, you could see, still commanded his full attention. We needed to continue, he stated, to help him find a way to get them released.

After this short message, he told me he wanted to meet and speak to each person individually. The President then walked through the formation, shaking each man’s hand. He spoke to most for a minute and to some, longer.

Dr. Brzezinski followed behind the President, also shaking hands and murmuring greetings. Although he wore a sport coat, he also wore a pair of what looked like ski boots. Boris had spotted them, and when Dr. Brzezinski appeared before him, he said, in perfect Polish, “I like your shoes, sir.” This surprised Dr. Brzezinski. He and Boris then carried on, in Polish, a conversation that must have lasted several minutes.

Before he returned to his helicopter, the President told me in his gentle voice, “I have been remiss in not knowing more about Delta Force. I am very impressed with what I’ve learned about them and what I’ve seen today. I didn’t know we still had people like this, people who would sacrifice everything for their country. Colonel Beckwith, I am very proud of these men.”