Iran gives medals to generals who detained U.S. sailors

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

Iran gives medals to generals who detained U.S. sailors

By Mariano Castillo, CNN
Updated 2034 GMT (0434 HKT) January 31, 2016

(CNN) - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on Sunday awarded Fath medals to five commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps naval forces for the detention of 10 American sailors who trespassed into Iranian waters, according the official state news agency Press TV.

Two U.S. Navy crafts carrying 10 sailors reached three miles into the waters surrounding Iran's Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf on January 12 because of mechanical problems.

The boats had drifted off course, but one was also suffering engine trouble, making it impossible for the Americans to back off rapidly and return to international waters when armed Iranian naval boats approached them.

Iran said the Republic Guards detained the U.S. service members and questioned them about whether they were on an intelligence mission.

But an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman said afterward that the boats strayed into Iranian waters by accident. The sailors were later released to the American naval fleet in the Persian Gulf.

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Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/31/middleeast/iran-republic-guard-praised-for-naval-incident/index.html

[EdwardBernays]

1. and?

We're done much much worse:

In 1990, Capt. Rogers was awarded the Legion of Merit decoration "for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as commanding officer ... from April 1987 to May 1989."

That includes the time he shot down an Iranian civilian airliner killing dozens of women and children, after illegally sailing into Iranian waters.