RAFINO Report
ISSUE 20 - Spring 1998 - Return to Index

TEHRAN IN THE LATE '70s 
By Dave Mikkelson
(Part 2 of 2)

(Ed: We pick up from page 17 of the Fall 1997 issue.) 
"…..Arriving in Germany, the remnant of my Finance Operations relocated to COL John Bain's CF&AO.  I became a special staff officer to COL J. Claud Wallace in USAREUR HQ.  COL Wallace was elated when he found that we had abandoned the PFR's in Iran; he could now prove that we did not need all that paperwork in the field.  Travel cards were the only items that we should have taken out with us; we had no choice but to honor all subsequent outstanding travel claims.  To sustain military pay support, I worked with the Air Force at Rhein Main to take over their folks; Cleveland took the Navy Pay; and CF&AO with CPT Wotring, MSG Billy Williams and SSGT Bobby Bradley of "my office" reconstructed Army Pay for JUMPS input.  CF&AO also inherited the headache of finalizing all of our NAF accounting.  We established the remnant of our Commercial Accounts operation and Foreign Military Sales case accounting with LTC Bob Goetz's 7th Corps regional F&AO in Stuttgart.  We even got "Mo" Zareyan out of Tehran and up to 7th F&AO to help Bob out. 

Having done all I could at USAREUR and, of course, with the permission of COL Ralph Dixon, I returned to USAFAC the end of March with the DO/DSSN records and continued to work with Phil Anderson in Field Services for several weeks sorting out a myriad of policy issues and trying to balance my cash blotter.  The "rest of the story" was completed in December 1979 when a check from the Shah's "Impounded" FMS support case was received thanks to efforts of MAJ Jim Lock then on the staff of HQ, DSAA in the Pentagon.  I filed a zero balance Statement of Accountability as of 31 Dec 79 reflecting no loss of funds; from terrifying back to terrific! 

I pay tribute to the courage, loyalty and devotion to duty of all the Finance folks, including local employees like "Red" Manizani, who were in Iran at that time in 1979.  They did the impossible in an exemplary and selfless manner to "Support and Serve" under most extreme and difficult circumstances.  And, a special thanks to all of you in the Finance Family that gave us such outstanding support and encouragement when we really needed it.  God bless all of you!"