Where Were You 30 Years Ago

The Second Essential Scary Truth

Where were you 30 years ago yesterday? 

 

Yesterday, November 4, 1979 was the date 53 Americans working in the US Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage by approximately 300 Iranian students.  Considering it was the death knell for the failed Carter presidency and the first US skirmish with modern Islamists, the assumption would be the news media would be all over this anniversary.  Analysts would be trying to decode its meaning and relevance.

 

No such luck.  The only serious work on the hostage crisis was done by Mark Bowden in his 2006 book Guests of the Ayatollah.  Otherwise, the pundits and news wonks have been silent.

 

I can see why.  I remember where I was when John Lennon was shot, the Challenger crashed and both World trade Center attacks.  My high school locker combination from my senior year and my Grandparents phone number; got it.  However, I can’t figure out where I was when I heard the hostages had been taken.  We all continue to miss the significance of the event.

 

So,  where you were on November 4, 1979?