by Jason Kramer
Chapter 10
0930Z: Natanz: Iran
Colonel Radan returned to his office in the underground support building. He is with the Captain of the Guards watching the video tapes of the activities of the hostages. His office and quarters are located near the entrance to this building. It has been a very stressful day as it always is whenever the President and the Press visit Natanz. He points to one particular individual that seems to be in charge of the Israeli group. He can tell by the demeanor of this person that he is or was in the military. He looks through the captured passports to find the name of this person. “Bring me this one that is called Yosef,” he orders as he points to the video screen.
The Captain of the Guards leaves Colonel Radan and goes to the holding room to get Yosef. The Captain has his guards handcuff Yosef and leads him back to the Colonel’s office.
Colonel Radan’s office is strictly for business. No family pictures, no mementos or photographs with the President or other dignitaries. Colonel Radan does not have a family. He has never been married, his parents are dead and he has no siblings. His whole life has been dedicated to being a professional soldier. His only focus in life is to serve his country as his father did. He wonders how he is going to justify to himself for this criminal act. He keeps these thoughts to himself but he knows that he has to deal with this reality. The Captain knocks on the Colonel’s door and listens for the order to enter. He and the prisoner enter the office.
“My name is Colonel Radan,” he says. He does not offer a chair to his prisoner. “I hope that you and your men are being well taken care of. Is there anything that you require?”
Yosef just shakes his head. “Very well, let’s get started” Radan pulls out Yosef’s passport and makes a mental note. This is probably not this person’s true name and passport but it will do to get things started.
Colonel Radan asks, “Yosef Rabin, what is your rank in the Israeli Defense Force?”
Yosef does not answer the question; he sees no reason to answer this question and give this information away. He is a hostage and not a prisoner of war.
“Ok, I understand your position and respect your silence. As a soldier, we are trained to deal with captivity but I can assure you that you and men will not be mistreated or harmed unless you try to escape. You are obviously a leader among these men so I picked you. I need you to maintain order and discipline among the other captured Israelis so that no harm will come to anyone. You will be taken care of and treated with respect. You and your comrades will be held here until such time as our work is completed. Do you have any questions?”
Yosef shakes his head as he is considering the credibility of this officer. He has known many military officers and his gut is telling him that this man is a professional soldier and not a kidnapper. He understands and respects a soldier’s commitment to follow orders. The true test comes with how a soldier maintains his credibility and integrity while following his orders. This Iranian officer seems to possess this quality.
“Very well, Captain, take the prisoner back to the holding room,” orders Colonel Radan.
Colonel Radan believes that this Israeli is a trained and disciplined Israeli soldier. Could Yosef be someone that he could trust to maintain order among the prisoners?
Colonel Radan believes that the Israelis or Americans will be coming to attempt a rescue of their men and will probably try to destroy the Natanz facilities in the process. If this occurs, he knows that a fight is inevitable. Colonel Radan will have to think about how he should respond. He has to prepare for the eventual battle. He decides to request more reinforcements from the headquarters of the IRGC.
