I was a senior in high school when the Shah of Iran fell, and Ayatollah Khomeini came to power. In the aftermath of that revolution, a ragtag group of Iranian revolutionaries captured the American Embassy and 62 American hostages.
That small group of Iranians held the compound for 444 days, securing their release on the day President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office.
Fellow Georgian and then-President Jimmy Carter had a White House tenure filled with many challenges: an economy stuck in the woes of “stagflation,” a deepening energy crisis, the nation’s first nuclear power plant accident, and perhaps nothing more politically damaging than the Iranian Hostage crisis, other than perhaps a failed military mission and rescue attempt to end the same.
I have waited for and wanted regime change in Iran for each of the 47 years since.
But I know enough to know a detailed plan is required — and that creating a power vacuum may lead to a new leader and situation even worse than before. But I am not here to second-guess the current commander-in-chief.
An attack on Iran is well underway. Its latest Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is now dead, too. However, just like the Ayatollah who took over in ‘79, this latest one can be replaced, too.
Israel and the United States have eliminated many other key Iranian military and government leaders, along with Iran’s internet and much of the nation’s communications systems. It remains to be seen, however, if Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon has been successfully terminated as well.
Despite an extremely challenged economy and significant turmoil from Iranian citizens in the streets for months, there is no opposition party or organized resistance in place to take the country over from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which has ruled the country for nearly half a century.
Declared or not, we are at war. Among the blessings Americans often overlook and take for granted is that no major military conflict has been fought on American soil (at least across the contiguous 48 states) since the American Civil War. American armed forces have participated and fought all across the globe in dozens of wars and conflicts since, but for more than 161 years — except for terrorist incidents — Americans have gone to war, rather than having war come to America.
We have a stake in this, and we need to sit our families and friends down and talk.
Be alert. Be aware of your surroundings. Put down your phone or your tablet and take out those earbuds. Look up, out, and pay attention. As with 9/11, the enemy may again attempt to break the American spirit.
In December 2001, not long after 9-11, British national Richard Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 in Paris, destined for Miami. Reid had 10 ounces of plastic explosives in his shoes — explosives that metal detectors and security systems of the day could not detect.
Over the Atlantic, an attentive flight attendant and other passengers noted the smell of sulfur, and that Reid was attempting to light matches, apparently to ignite a fuse in his shoes.
Quick action resulted in Reid being tied up with headphone cords and restrained with seat belts. A medical doctor on the flight sedated Reid using supplies from the in-flight medical safety kit. Crisis averted, nearly 200 lives were saved.
There likely will be equally heinous attempts to harm us in the weeks and months ahead.
American infrastructure and places where large numbers of people gather — concerts, stadiums, airports, transit centers, outdoor festivals, sporting events — all bring thousands of strangers together in often highly insecure spaces.
So, if you see something, say something.
I am not suggesting profiling or random acts of violence or hatred against American Muslims or any other minorities. What I am saying is be careful and remain vigilant.
We have enemies in this world. Not unlike the Japanese awakening a Great Sleeping Bear with their attack on Pearl Harbor, we have knocked a Great Snake from its nest and killed many of its eggs. That snake can still bite. Its success and ability to cause serious wounds, injury, or deaths may well depend on people like you and me being ready, able, and active in protecting our families, communities, and nation.