So to be accurate, here's the actual account.
The real blunder was when the helicopter crashed into a transport aircraft because of miscalculation and ignited all the jet fuel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas (Persian: عملیات طبس) in Iran,[1] was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President
Jimmy Carter to attempt to rescue 52 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran on 24 April 1980.
The operation, one of Delta Force's first,[2] encountered many obstacles and failures and was subsequently aborted. Eight helicopters were sent to the first staging area called Desert One, but only five arrived in operational condition.[3] One had encountered hydraulic problems, another was caught in a sand storm, and the third showed signs of a cracked rotor blade. During the operational planning, it was decided that the mission would be aborted if fewer than six helicopters remained operational, despite only four being absolutely necessary.[3]In a move that is still discussed in military circles, the field commanders advised President Carter to abort the mission, which he did.[4]
As the U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from Desert One, one of the remaining helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft that contained both servicemen and jet fuel. The resulting fire destroyed both aircraft and killed eight servicemen.[3]
In the context of the Iranian Revolution, Iran's new leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, stated that the mission had been stopped by an act of God ("angels of God") who had foiled the U.S. mission in order to protect Iran and his new Islamist government. In turn, Carter blamed his loss in the 1980 U.S. presidential election mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages.[5] Finally, the American hostages were released shortly after Reagan's inauguration.[6]
In addition to the formal report, various reasons for the mission failure have been argued, with most analysts agreeing that an excessively complex plan, poor operational planning, flawed command structure, lack of adequate pilot training and poor weather conditions were all contributing factors and combined to the failure of the operation
metmike: The US military is the best in the world and these are all brave, usually extremely trained soldiers giving up their lives for their country, so I don't want to take anything away from that.
Carter trusted them and ordered them to come up with a rescue plan then called it off when they advised him to do so.
Under most circumstances, they could have pulled it off. I still remember how devastated I was at reading/hearing the news and seeing the reaction from Iran....celebrating. It made me hate their guts for a very long time back then!
