So I am curious and I was too young at the time but did the Marines or the Embassy Staff that were held hostage in Tehran during the Embassy siege there in 1979 get anything in regards to ribbons or medals?

The MSG Detachment received a Navy MUC from the period beginning 24 December 78 to 30 March 79.



Individual Marines received Navy Commendation medals.

a few, if not all were awarded Combat Action Ribbons.


http://www.marines.mil/unit/ma...0U.S.%20Embassy.aspx

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FormerEmbassyMarine,

You would think they would have gotten POW Medals as well.

They did:

The link below case is about a VERY RECENT case before the ABCMR (CY2008) about a soldier who received the Soldiers Medal for duty while in captivity and was susequently awarded the POW medal for the hostage crisis.

http://boards.law.af.mil/ARMY/...2008/20080018589.txt

He was denied the Purple heart for injuries he said he sustained.

So did the Marines fire their weapons at all?

Again, I was too young to remember at the time but I think they did but I am not sure.

I think it qualifies for POW service even though a war was not declared the conditions were the same.

The "repeatedly subjected to sniper fire" in the MUC citation would be the grounds for the CAR being awarded.

I wasn't too young; I was on alert in West Germany during the time period of the MUC, waiting along with the rest of our MP Bn (709th) to head over there for the non-combatant evacuations (we were the largest MP Bn closest to Iran).

regarding "receiving fire"...My NAM write up for my embassy evac in Congo, where I was stationed as an Embassy guard says:

"while under small arms fire"

but no CAR for me.

ah well.

Thats interesting. I know the Congo was violent at times in the past. Weren't the Belgians involved there once upon a time?

So I hate to beat a dead horse here but why the differentiation do you think between the Congo and Iran?

well they were big news and we were not.

Also, for our evac, we didn't get a MEU.

We did fire tear gas to keep them away, however we did not fire our weapons, even though we were in the vicinity of rockets, small arms and arty for about 2 weeks. Some rounds and an RPG hit the embassy a few times.

The disparity is pretty sickening...the USS Ashland (ships crew) received a CAR because they got one RPG SHOT at them...did not impact...while in port in Jordan. No Marines on board could get one because the Corps said no.

and, as you can see from the article I posted about the Marine receiving his CAR 23 years later....well......that might tell you how the USMC and CAR's are...

I am pretty salty about it...especially when I heard a bunch of squids got one while sitting on their butts in Jordan...I bet even those on libo got one.

^^^ Sadly, these things happen though with Military awards. Look at the ARCOM and the CIB, both have had consistency issues over time.

quote:

Originally posted by ErichG2:
So I am curious and I was too young at the time but did the Marines or the Embassy Staff that were held hostage in Tehran during the Embassy siege there in 1979 get anything in regards to ribbons or medals?

I know one of the CIA agents who was taken hostage. He received the State Department Medal of Valor and the CIA Exceptional Service Medal. Not sure if those were just his or if they were blanket awards to the hostages.