The Foreign Service Journal, January 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY 2012 51 AFSA NEWS AFSA Presents “ARGO” and its Heroes to a Full House Despite a chilly Dec. 13th evening, people arrived at the AMC Theater in Georgetown well in advance of the 7:00 p.m. screening of the Golden Globe Best Picture nomi- nated film, “ARGO.” The film is based on the book, ARGO, How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History , by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio, Viking, 2012. An AFSA special event, the movie was offered free of charge to members and their guests. With all seats spoken for in advance, it seemed everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the stars. Only this time, the stars were the real-life people who are represented in the film—the people who had endured the events of Nov. 4, 1979 when Iranian militants seized our embassy in Tehran and all of the Foreign Service employees in it. All, except for six Americans, and that is where the story begins. Ben Affleck, Hollywood director and star, does a good job of portraying Tony Mendez, the CIA agent whose job it was to come up with a plan to rescue the six. But on Dec. 13, 2012, Tony Mendez, the former CIA agent speak- ing before the crowd of more than 270, did it better. As a member of the audi- ence, it was hard to believe that Tony, along with Ambas- sador John Limbert—a hostage for 444 days—and Kathy Stafford and Bob Anders—two of the six offered refuge in Tehran by the Canadian ambassador— had endured such a historic and life-threatening situation. As the lights came up at the end of the film, Tony and the others made their way to the stage to a standing ovation from the audience. The panel’s recounting of the events were every bit as tense as the movie, which— despite the dramatic license taken by the director—was said to be a “fairly accurate portrayal.” Amb. Limbert verified the mock execution portrayed in the film; he was one of those with a hood over his head as the rifles clicked. As horrible as that scene was—both in the movie and in real-life—he reminded us, “We have Abu Ghraib, we know what people can do.” The embassy’s young Marines were hailed as heroes for having the strength to follow the com- mand, “Do not fire. If you shoot anyone today, we will all be killed.” Many questions from the audience ensued. One particular question sums up the resolve of members of the Foreign Service, “How did this experience affect your career?” Bob Anders answered by saying, “Well, it is all part of the job. You carry on and see what comes next down the road.” Or as Tony put it, “We are the ones that mind the crops, and there are some good crops to grow. We need to be on the ground to talk face-to- face with people.” n Top: Tony Mendez, center, gets a standing ovation. Center: Amb. John Limbert introduces Tony Mendez (center), as Kathy Stafford and Bob Anders look on. Bottom: AFSA Governing Board members, Keith Curtis (left), and Francisco Zamora (right), greet Tony Mendez. BY DONNA AYERST, AFSA NEWS EDITOR PHOTOSBYDONNAAYERST