For the U.S. Navy, it was like hitting the public-relations jackpot: An aircraft carrier cruising the seas in the Middle East this week stumbled across an Iranian fishing vessel in distress, hijacked by pirates.Forces from the aircraft carrier’s strike group swiftly made the most of the moment. They seized 15 Somali pirates without firing a shot and rescued 13 hungry Iranian fishermen who had been held hostage for several weeks.
There was no official response, much less a thank you, from the Iranian government after the Navy released details of the rescue mission Friday.
If this story is true, and not just Pentagon Propaganda, then the U.S. Navy must get the respect and gratitude of the Iranian government and the Iranian nation. It has earned it.
This remarkable story tells us nothing new about the American military. We've always known that the problem is not the American military, but the civilian decision makers and war planners in Washington.
The U.S. Navy has done an admirable act of service and sacrifice by saving the Iranian fishermen from death and bondage. The Iranian government must at the very least acknowledge this act, and thank these men for rescuing the Iranian hostages, or else it will lose all honour.
This is not a time to play politics. This is a time to say thank you to the U.S. Navy. Iranian leaders better wise up and show respect in this instance. The crew who took park in this hostage rescue must be showered with Iranian hospitality. It is a matter of honour. The code of chivalry demands it.
