Lt. David Nartker, 27, one of 10 U.S. sailors captured by Iran, is shown in a video apologizing to Iran after a U.S. Navy vessel drifted into Iranian waters. (Image: IRIB)
The skipper of the boats captured by Iran this year says he should be commended and not penalized for averting a potential firefight in the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. Navy has rebuked him and effectively ended his once-promising career in the military. But Lt. David Nartker makes no apologies for his actions when two boats under his command strayed into Iranian waters and ended up captured by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In an exclusive interview with Foreign Policy, Nartker defended his role in the Jan. 12 incident in the Persian Gulf, arguing that he safeguarded the lives of his crew and averted a potential war with Iran over a navigational error.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the case, Nartker last week offered an alternative narrative to the one painted by the U.S. Navy, which has reprimanded him for “dereliction of duty.” He described a harrowing confrontation near Farsi Island as two Iranian vessels equipped with machine guns encircled his riverine boats. He said he had only seconds to decide whether to order his crew to open fire or to look for a way out of the showdown.
After his boats tried and failed to evade the two Iranian vessels closing in around them, Nartker considered the possibility of aiming his M4 assault rifle at a Iranian gunner only about 10 feet away.
“I know I could have hit that guy and killed him. There was eye contact,” Nartker said.
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WNU Editor: If he did not apologise to the Iranians .... just stuck to his name and serial number and a tone of defiance .... he would have probably been commended. But he apologised .... and someone had to take the fall for this fiasco. But his account on what happened is a fascinating read, and kudos to Foreign Policy for posting it.
8 comments:
Pussy
He was in a lose lose situation. Fight and they all die and he is responsible for starting WW III. Surrender, which isn't quite so bad given you aren't actually at war and are where you shouldn't be, and go under the bus. He probably saved the lives of his crew with his actions. Had Obama, Clinton, either of them or even Bush, either of them found themselves in that situation they probably would have done the same. He is lucky he isn't jail given the state of the Union. After this fiasco the next guy and his crew that find themselves in that spot are likely to start a war.
Which may be what they wanted all along.
Big pussy
As editor says if he had just kept his mouth shut he wouldnt be in this mess.
Secondly he does need to answer for his incompetant command at sea, lost this, error that. He had no idea where he was it was like mchales navy only funnier.
As editor says if he had just kept his mouth shut he wouldnt be in this mess.
Secondly he does need to answer for his incompetant command at sea, lost this, error that. He had no idea where he was it was like mchales navy only funnier.
As editor says if he had just kept his mouth shut he wouldnt be in this mess.
Secondly he does need to answer for his incompetant command at sea, lost this, error that. He had no idea where he was it was like mchales navy only funnier.
Had he kept his mouth shut as WNU suggested he and his entire crew would have been executed, the Iranians would have had a huge media victory, and we might have been at war with a vastly superior Iranian enemy. I think the next crew hopetully will be more careful. Perhaps we may even get leadership who will properly deploy America's military forces. In other words, acknowledge Iran's stronger position and act accordingly.
Iran has Russia and China the world's strongest countries backing them up. Even without this for America to defeat Iran in a conventional fight is futile. Iran is far more powerful. In a non conventional fight, Iran has Russia and China to back them up. As such, there is no hope (of course the Red Sea could part again) for America to fight and win a military conflict on any level with Iran.
For now. Iran has been content to "harass" US Naval vessels. It's only a matter of time before they decide to sink one or more of them. Essentially American Naval vessels operating in the region are surviving only and soley at the pleasure of the Iranians.
Iran is the superior power. Iran wishes to harm us. We need to act accordingly. While discomforting perhaps, such things aren't hard. Humans have been acting to placate those stronger than themselves for thousands of years. Also, try to enlist strong powers such as Russia and China to help us here.
Vastly superior. ? Youre kidding right.
Had they executed the u.s sailors for following protected prisoner protocols the entire iranian navy wpuld have been destroyed within the week.
They still remember mantis, but l suppose the ecology could always do with a few more artifical reefs.
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