The Guts to Try: The Untold Story of the Iran Hostage Rescue Mission by the On-Scene Desert Commander

by James H. Kyle, John Robert Eidson

From one of the highest ranking officers on the ground in Iran comes a no-holds-barred look at America’s brave mission against terrorism

Colonel James H. Kyle was involved in every stage of the Iran hostage rescue operation. As Desert-1 Commander, he alone bore responsibility for the courageous mission. Now Colonel Kyle spares no one, including himself, in this riveting account that takes readers from the initial brainstorming sessions and training camps to the desert rehearsals, the forward staging areas in Egypt and Oman, and finally to the desert refueling site, where he decided to abort.

Colonel Kyle provides honest answers to tough Why were the pilots caught totally off guard by the weather? How did the CIA contribute to the mission’s breakdown? And could such a failure happen again? The Guts to Try is a thrilling true-life adventure story–exploring America’s ability to react quickly, forcefully, and effectively to acts of terrorism.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, Military History, Iran, Aviation, Middle East

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Other authors with this name:

James H. Kyle

Reviews

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

COLONEL BECKWITH AND COLONEL KYLE: "In Washington, where I had flown to attend another brainstorming session, I was introduced to Air Force Col. James Kyle. General Vaught had added him to the Joint Task Force (JTF) staff as his deputy to supervise the planners responsible for getting Delta in and out. Jim Kyle impressed everyone. As a former Air Commando, he obviously knew his business." (From page 181 in Delta Force by Col. Charlie A. Beckwith, copyright 1983.)

PREPARATION FOR THE RESCUE MISSION: "Our helicopter crews had flown hundreds of hours using night-vision goggles in cross-country navigation under conditions ranging from full-moon to total darkness. Their refueling procedures with the C-130s had become almost routine. The techniques of landing and taking off in the dust had been mastered with great difficulty through hours of concentrated training. ... The ability to rescue our people being held hostage, which did not exist on November 4, 1979, was now a reality. ... Through five and a half months, we had done all of this and still maintained operational security. Quite an accomplishment!" (page 200)

DID THE HELICOPTERS CAUSE THE MISSION TO FAIL?

"...the big question...why three of the helos had failed to complete the mission because of mechanical problems" (page 314)

"(Marine Colonel) Pittman was well aware of General Vaught's disenchantment with the helicopter situation, and anger and frustration at not being alowed to look things over personally. ... the general had again voiced his concerns to the Navy at not having eight choppers ready for the mission." (page 177)

"The problems on the mission certainly raised questions as to whether the Navy pilots that had been baby-sitting the helos on the carrier had really been putting them through their paces so they would be ready for the rescue mission. I simply couldn't label it as bad luck." (pages 289-290)

[Ben Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever heard of the Iran-Contra affair and the failed rescue attempt, but have only heard media reports on why it failed, this is a must read. The Guts to Try will reveal to you the amount of dedication put forth by our troops to try and rescue hostages deep in Iran's territory as told by an on scene commander. No easy task. Their efforts should not be discounted, as so many of us do when we are presented with information separated from the source.

[William French · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insider’s look at the hostage rescue mission to Iran, Operation Eagle Claw. It’s failure comes down to three risk-averse helicopter pilots refusing to proceed for one reason or another. I’m not convinced the mission would have succeeded in any event. No matter what, it would have been interesting to have seen what would have happened if Col. Charlie Beckwith and his Delta force commandoes had made it to to the embassy in Teheran.

[rachel schwab · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too much detail for me at times but what a great read on so many things. Joint operations, Delta Force starting, training and then the mission. If you wonder what goes on in preparation and during a rescue attempt you’ll enjoy it.

[John Jannuzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Iran hostage crisis, and the failed, daring rescue attempt of the hostages in 1980 will forever be embedded in my mind. I recently stumbled across this book at a library book sale and felt I just had to read it. It is a very comprehensive explanation of all the preparation and mission execution, as well as a detailed post-mortem of the failed rescue. The first half of the book was heavy on military acronyms, and the mentioning of every person in the large cast of characters in the evolution of the mission. That part was easy to read before going to bed. The second half is where it got very interesting. The book is aptly titled, “The Guts to Try”. It really was an attempt at an incredibly critical and challenging rescue. And unfortunately, as expressed in the book, if anything could go wrong, it did. A bit hard to have to relive that hostage crisis nightmare, but glad I read it. (And as a meteorologist, it was that much more difficult to read, due to an unexpected Haboob dust storm which severely contributed to the mission failure. I disagree, however, that the Haboob was the #1 cause of the mission’s demise).

[Larry Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the insider's view to what happened and there is a ton of detail about the planning and training for the mission. I appreciate the author's critique of what happened and what could have been done differently in hindsight. Lots of lessons learned here.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary of the Desert One Failure.

[David Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little known details of this heroic, but disastrous secret military mission.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written work for everyone wanting to learn about the madness of 1979 to 1981.
I greatly appreciate the honesty of the narrative.

[Timothy Gretler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about this on an April morning when I was a senior in high school, "Our guys are running around in the desert!" someone said. We had to try and I'm proud of the attempt our military and government made.