Ken Kraus: The First American Hostage in Iran

Marine Security Guard Ken Kraus was the first American taken hostage in Iran. On Valentine's Day 1979, the US Embassy in Tehran was overrun by armed militants. Kraus was shot, beaten, and thrown into prison, where he was tortured, put on trial before a panel of mullahs, and sentenced to death. He refused to break. He made it out with minutes to spare. Ken Kraus: A Marine Endures Hell: The First Marine Held Hostage in Iran During the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979