CROWLEY-STEVEN

KILLED  IN  EMBASSY  ATTACK

On November 20, 1979, a Saudi Arabian Islamic zealot group led a takeover of the Mosque at Mecca, Islam’s holiest place.  Almost immediately, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran claimed that Americans were behind the attack and he repeated the false claim in media reports the morning of November 21.  On the afternoon of November 21, Pakistani students, enraged by the radio’s untrue reports stormed the U.S. Embassy at Islamabad, Pakistan.  Pakistani police assigned to protect the embassy were quickly overwhelmed by the rioters and using a battering ram they succeeded in breaking down the brick column holding the gate to the Embassy.  When the gate fell, the mob of rioters stormed onto the Embassy grounds.

Corporal Steven J. Crowley was assigned to the Marine Security Guard and as stones and other missiles began to break the building’s windows, he had been posted on the Embassy roof to assess the demonstration.  As he watched the scene below him a rioter reportedly fired a gun to break a lock and the bullet ricocheted into the crowd striking one of the rioters.  As rioters erroneously thought the injury had been caused by a gunshot from the Embassy, armed rioters began to retaliate by firing on the Embassy.  Unfortunately, Crowley was struck just above his left ear during the gunfire and he was brought back into the building by two of his colleagues.  As the rioters swarmed toward the building’s doors, the embassy staff took shelter in a steel-encased, windowless vault on the top floor of the building.

As the rioters continued their assault, they broke windows, breached the building, and set fires.  As an Embassy nurse administered to Crowley, he unfortunately died at 3:55pm.  About 5:00pm, as the sun dropped and temperatures began to cool, the rioters began disbursing and after ensuring that it was safe to leave the vault, the staff members emerged from the vault.  The gunnery sergeant in charge of the Marines announced that he would not leave his dead Marine in the building.  He quickly climbed up to the valult and emerged a few moments later slowly climbing down a ladder with the body of Crowley over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.  On November 23, four-hundred shocked diplomats flew out of Pakistan on a commercial jet with the body of Crowley in the aircraft’s hold.

Steven J. Crowley was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  President Jimmy Carter sat next to Crowley’s mother at the funeral.  Corporal Crowley was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device.  In addition, the U.S. State Department awarded a Valor Award to Crowley.  On November 30, 2006, a plaque and classroom were dedicated to Crowley at the Marine Security Guard School in Quantico, Virginia.  At the intersection of Old Town Road and Greenhaven Drive in Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk County, New York, is located a memorial park in honor of SGT Crowley.

The Pakistani government would later pay the U.S. government $121 million to rebuild the Embassy compound.

                               

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)