Arthur D. Simons
Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons (born June 28, 1918 in New York , † May 21, 1979 in Red Bay , Florida ) was an American officer. He was best known for his involvement in Operation Ivory Coast , part of Operation Kingpin , in which American prisoners of war should have been freed from the North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp Sơn Tây .
Life
Simons was drafted in 1941 and commanded a field artillery unit from 1942 to 1944 before becoming company commander and battalion leader of the 6th Ranger Battalion. He participated in some very risky landings with the rangers in the Pacific. In Luzon in the Philippines he was involved in the Cabanatuan Raid , with which around 500 prisoners of war, most of them survivors of the Bataan death march , were to be rescued. For this he received the Silver Star. After World War II, Major Simons left the army for five years. He then resumed service as an infantry instructor and ranger at the Jungle Training Camp (Fort Benning, Georgia) and left the Army with the rank of Colonel on July 31, 1971.
In 1979, Simons was asked for help by Ross Perot , chairman of Electronic Data Systems Inc., when two of the company's employees were captured in Iran. In February 1979, organized together with Simon Perot, which ensured the financing, and a small group of former US Special Forces ; forces an uprising in Tehran to the Gazre prison to storm. The two Americans were released along with 11,000 Iranian prisoners. Simons and his group fled 720 kilometers from the Iranian military to Turkey and later returned to the United States. Simons died of heart failure three months later.
In 1983 the factual thriller On the Wings of the Eagle by Ken Follett was published, which was filmed in 1986 under the direction of Andrew V. McLaglen and tells the dramatic events of this liberation campaign. The film was shot as a two- parter with Burt Lancaster and Richard Crenna in the leading roles.
In 1980, Ross Perot and others established a foundation named after Colonel Simons to support the children of those killed in the Iranian hostage situation.
awards and medals
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Silver Star
- Legion of Merit , 4th Oak Leaf Cluster
- Bronze star
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Purple heart
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b About Bull Simons | Arthur D. Simons Center. Retrieved May 4, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ On the Wings of the Eagle in the Internet Movie Database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Simons, Arthur D. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bull |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 28, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York (State) |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 21, 1979 |
| Place of death | Red Bay , Florida |