The Iran Hostages – 30 Years Later
On Friday, January 28, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) will honor and pay tribute to the fifty-two U.S. diplomats and public servants who were released on January 20, 1981, after spending 444 days as hostages in Iran.
Department of State Director General Nancy Powell will deliver opening remarks followed by a panel discussion with former hostages Ambassador L. Bruce Laingen, Ambassador John W. Limbert, Alan B. Golacinski, Barry Rosen, and Donald Cooke. NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell will moderate the event.
Ambassador Laingen is a distinguished diplomat who has received many awards for his long career in the Foreign Service, including AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. Ambassador Limbert was a Political Officer at Embassy Tehran and last served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran. Mr. Golacinski was the Regional Security Officer at Embassy Tehran. Mr. Rosen was the press attaché, and Mr. Cooke served as a Vice-Consul.
The event will take place on Friday, January 28, at 10:00 a.m. in the George C. Marshall Center at the Department of State and is open for press coverage.
Preset time for cameras: 9:00 a.m. from the entrance at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue, N.W.
Final access for writers and still photographers: 9:45 a.m. from the entrance at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue, N.W.
Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).
For more information please contact Tom Switzer, Director of Communications, American Foreign Service Association, 202-944-5501, switzer@afsa.org
