The Inspiring True Story of One Man's Patriotic Spirit--and His Heroic Mission to Save His Countrymen

Breathtaking,unputdownable,novel ,the stuff of movies.,well why havent they made a movie about this. But hey !Argo just came out in the theatres ,i really enjoyed it ,but on Wings of Eagles would have made a great Movie .Ken Follett at his best.

The story was interesting, but the editing was pretty poor. There were constant grammatical mistakes, like "had got" or "Rashid looked really shook." Let me know if you need help, Mr. Follett, I'd work cheaply.

Despite my disciplined regime of only reading when I travel (which I do lots of for business). I found myself engrossed at dinner time till I went to sleep. The characters as usual with Ken F, jumped off the page and into my minds eye straight away. On to another KF novel now, always well worth a read.

There is no need to turn to tv or movies to get the thrill of Follett's On Wings of Eagles. It was wonderful; so interesting that money can buy what diplomacy cannot. Ross Porot is my new hero of human compassion.

Couldn't put this one down. I felt I was there with them as they maneuvered out of harm's way. There were a few typos which were distracting, but it didn't keep me away from the story. Loved the book. Follett is always the best storyteller.

Exciting, quick read based on a true event in history. I enjoyed reading the actual names of the men who held various positions in government during this time in history. Ken Follett is an outstanding story teller.

I completely admire what Ross Perot did for his people, and he's an amazing guy. This book should have been a very short story, as there's really no action or actual story here outside of, "Guys were basically kidnapped, Perot asked people to get ready to rescue them, and then they got out safely on their own."

Because I didn't know anything whatsoever about this adventure, I did find it very interesting. In fact, although I am old enough to remember Ross Perot as a presidential candidate, I never took his candidacy seriously and never bothered to learn anything about him. This book is very informative. However, it reads almost as a paid advertisement for Perot. The book would read less like an accolade and feel more realistic if Follet had given more voice to those few employees who had a different take on Perot. Regardless, I have recommended the book because the storyline is very compelling.

Book Review: "On Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follett; published by William Morrow, New York in 1983; Non Fiction.

I read quite a few books, usually one or two per week on average, and my selection varies widely from the latest murder mystery fiction novels to the more mundane non fiction biographies of ordinary people that lived through extraordinary situations hundreds or even thousands of years ago. I am a firm believer that almost every book is worth reading especially if the alternative is not to read at all. I like reading so much that when left alone in an environment with no other suitable distraction I will often read the labels on product cartons including tissue boxes, furniture cushions, and even the tiny shampoo bottles found in hotels. Reading is educational, entertaining, and therapeutic while also being quite inexpensive, flexible, and completely portable. Like most readers I have developed a preference for a number of topics and acquired an addiction for a few select authors yet one book stands out among all others as by far the best book I have read in over 30 years of persistent study.

The book currently at the top of my list is "On Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follett. This book reads like a non-stop action thriller and it competes with the finest of the wild and dramatic novels out there yet the most incredible aspect of the story is that it is 100% true as recounted to the author first hand by many of the original subjects. I know this for fact as I have researched the story several times, at first in disbelief and then later out of admiration and a passion to find out even more about the origins of this unique situation and the amazing people that were involved. My research included querying numerous news archives, reviewing public profiles of several large corporations, communicating with a few veteran book collectors, and eventually to direct contact with the author who was kind enough to correspond with me on several occasions.

The story takes place in that late 1970s. It starts innocently enough when EDS, a large computer processing company based in Dallas, wins a contract from the Iranian government to provide computer hardware and software that will administer the Iranian social security system including taxes, finances, and payouts to the citizens of Iran. The company assigns hundreds of employees to the project and many of them are relocated to Iran where they setup a typical corporate office complete with cubicles, meeting rooms, typewriters, secretaries, etc. They install and maintain a massive mainframe computer system and live relatively normal lives including a Monday-Friday work week with shopping, social events, and errands on the weekends. A number of the main executives even brought their families with them to eliminate the burden of long term separation that often accompanies massive out of town projects. The wives furnish and decorate their houses and apartments, they buy cars and appliances, and the kids go to school just like they would back home in Dallas. Several families even have pets including dogs, cats, and birds.

For a while everything seems to be going well and the contract is worth many millions in revenue so the company is looking forward to a substantial profit as the deliverables are completed and payment is made. This is where the trouble starts. The Iranian government becomes unstable and they withhold payment on all invoices due to the company despite the significant work that has already been completed. Various fanatical groups emerge to stir up trouble in their desire to take over from the local government. Demonstrations are held in the streets, protests and vandalism become common, and civil order begins to erode. Eventually it becomes unsafe for the Americans to travel after dark and a curfew is imposed. The EDS workers and their families are concerned but they assume this is a temporary situation that will blow over in time once the political arguments are resolved. They are initially confident of their safety since they are providing a critical service to the Iranian government which in turn provides a valuable service to the Iranian citizens, so of course it would be unwise for Iran to turn on the service providers that are supporting them.

Unfortunately the opposite happens and in just a few short months the entire country is thrown into a full scale revolution which includes severe restrictions on travel. Violence, gunfire, and civil unrest are common place and there is now a much greater threat to Americans in particular. At this point the US government issues orders to evacuate all non-essential US embassy staff and American citizens living in Iran, so of course the company decides to evacuate the employees and temporarily shut down the project. Most of the employees put their belongings in storage or hire Iranian friends to look after their homes and possessions in anticipation of returning once order has been restored. A small skeleton crew of top executives and core employees volunteer to remain behind and maintain the system in hopes that the Iranian government will be restored, pay the outstanding invoices, and welcome the Americans back to resume their work on the lucrative contract.

Unbeknownst to EDS, the Iranian government was running out of money thus they were not able to pay the invoices however they also needed to keep the system running to maintain critical services if they were to eventually recover. To solve their dilemma one of the government officials decides to have two of the top executives arrested, interrogated, and jailed on false charges of corruption. The official refuses to pay the invoices and insists that the remaining crew continue to maintain the system. The executives are found guilty without a trial and bail is set at $13 million dollars. The entire process is quite unusual given the normal laws and legal processes in Iran so EDS immediately engages a team of top lawyers and US government officials to get their employees released from prison and returned to the US.

A long battle ensues driven primarily by Ross Perot, the EDS President, and his extensive network of powerful corporate and political allies. All options are considered including payment of the outrageous bail however nothing works. The US government is not willing to risk creating an international incident since the employees initially appear to be safe in jail, the legal advisors recommend against paying the bail since there is no assurance that the employees would be released and it could encourage further arrests or increased demands, and all attempts to reason or bargain with the Iranian government end in total failure. At this point Ross makes a bold move which would have been viewed as completely insane by many and actively thwarted by all government officials had they known about it at the time.

Ross decided to form a small team of his top executives by selecting those that were closest and most loyal to him. By coincidence they also just happened to be ex-military soldiers formerly assigned to Special Forces duty for the US Army. Ross then hired an old friend of his, a legendary retired military colonel and former Green Beret known as Col. Bull Simmons, to lead the newly formed commando team. He gathered the group in his Dallas headquarters, swore them to secrecy which included cover stories for their families, and charged them with doing whatever it took to rescue the imprisoned employees and bring them back to the US. He provided unlimited funds, transportation, and valuable connections to certain influential parties that could get things done. Then he stepped out of the way and let the team get to work.

Col. Simmons trained the team, conducted reconnaissance, obtained the proper gear, and arranged for the team to be smuggled into Iran. The remainder of the story is quite exciting and will keep you turning page after page well into the early morning hours as you fight off sleep and struggle to keep your eyes open for just one more paragraph. I won't ruin the surprise by relating the outcome but suffice to say it is quite an adventure that serves as a reminder of how strong the bonds can become between team members when they are led and motivated by the best and then made dependent on each other for survival against all odds.

In closing I recommend that you buy not one but several copies of this book. You will want one to read, one to keep in safe storage with your permanent collection, and several to give to your family and friends. In the past several years I have purchased more than a dozen copies and given them all away except for one which is an original first edition hardback that was signed by Ken Follett, Ross Perot, and 7 of the top executives that were involved in the rescue operation. That copy is safely stored away with my most treasured possessions where it remains for many months at a time until I get the urge to pull it out and read it again or show it to friends as I highly recommend an item for their shopping list on their next trip to the bookstore.

I love the book. Ken Follet seems to never disappoint. Even though it is fictional, it connects with actual historical facts and you have to keep reminding yourself that you are actually reading fiction.

Interesting but not great literature. I chose because of the history. The EDS employees and the leadership of Ross Perot were outstanding. Yes I would recommend this. It was informative of the events in IRAN and the failure of our government for backing the wrong horse.

I have to disagree with the seller in that I don't feel like this book should have been listed as Used - Good, it should have been Used- Acceptable. Also it wasn't noted as Ex Library book, if it were I wouldn't have ordered it. I buy books for my personal library and this one isn't worthy so I will read it and give it to Goodwill.

I had a problem with reading this book due to yellowed pages which made it difficult to read.
I believe the book is an excellent book and looked forward to reading it; however because of the print on yellowed pages, it is difficult to read.
I will look for the same book that is in better shape.
Thank You

I had a problem with reading this book due to yellowed pages which made it difficult to read.
I believe the book is an excellent book and looked forward to reading it; however because of the print on yellowed pages, it is difficult to read.
I will look for the same book that is in better shape.
Thank You

Not impressed. Not a particularly interesting story except for the final road trip to leave Iran. Final thoughts - thank God Perot never reached the White House, strange message when one can throw enough "can do staff" (how ridiculous is that), foolish amounts of money, and retired marines at an international conflict. Follet should be ashamed of himself for elevating Perot as an admiral man and diminishing the role and capabilities or the Federal Government and State Department. Only in Texas I guess.

This book could have been made better by deleting a third of it. While Ross Perot's character, genius, courage and loyalty to his employees is well-portrayed and endearing, the book bogs down in monotonous and repetitive detail.Ken Follett is a master of creating drama and suspense and this was real-life drama and suspense, so it was surprising that he didn't portray the emotions the characters were feeling in this book very well. I understand this is real life, but life can be every bit, sometimes even more, cliff-hanging than fiction. The dramatic points fell flat. Despite the rich material, this book read like a history book and a superficial one at that. The Iran crisis has historical implications beyond what happened to the EDS employees, and yet this aspect of the book was given short-shrift. Overall, the first half of the book kept my interest and so did the desire to know what happened to the Americans, but slogging through the last third of the book to finally get the answer, didn't seem worth it.

great read of this little known successful rescue action. My boss was talking about this book and I thought he was talking about the small group that escaped from the official US embassy during the Iranian Revolution that was the subject of the recent movie but no, its a completely different story and what a good one. Ken had a great grasp of the military process and limitations and blended this detail with character backgrounds of the people involved. Getting an appropriate experienced professional like Bull Simons to run the mission shines through and the glowing reports of the leaderships style of the company boss Ross Perot is so glowing that you think he must have paid the author something...but then again maybe that is why his company came from nothing to be so successful - great and inspiring leadership that is well differentiated from management. A great read that I could hardly put down. Worth a read for the specifics and suspense of the rescue mission but also to see the leadership philosophy of a successful business man.

Ken Follett has written quite a lot of suspense-filled thrillers. On Wings of Eagles differs from his usual fare in that it is a thriller that is a true story from start to finish. Follett tells the story of the capture-for-ransom and subsequent escape to freedom of two executives employed by H. Ross Perot as the revolution in Iran was unfolding in early 1979. Looking back now, 35 years after the event, the success of the rescue mission stands in stark comparison to the failed mission to rescue the hostages taken at the US embassy later that year. Follett published his account in 1983, when the outcomes of each of these events was widely known, and yet I found that his story doesn’t carry the excitement that I had anticipated. Perot's collection of mercenaries, most of whom were already in his employ in other capacities, come off a bit thin, as does the unfolding story as Perot begins with conventional approaches to gaining his employees freedom before launching the rescue mission. Perhaps Follett has included too much detail. It is a good story, but told in a less-than-compelling fashion.

Follett assures the reader in the introduction that this is not a fictionalized account of events, which makes it all the more surprising.

The events took place in 1979 during the Iranian revolution. EDS executives Paul Chiapparone and Bill Gaylord were wrongly imprisoned as the Shah fled the country and Ayhatolla Khomeini took over. In the midst of the revolution on the streets of Teheran, EDS owner Ross Perot undertook to break out the guys from jail. All diplomatic avenues were thwarted, force seemed like the only way out. He set up a group of men led by a formidable retired Coronel to get Paul and Bill out overland through Turkey. Read the book for all the details and the ending.

I found it ok to read but not much more than ok. Too much like a movie, too much a song and dance to the greatness to the USA. Perot has unlimited funds which make everything a lot easier in this world. I was very interested in the 5-6 men who were the ones going into the revolution to help their colleagues I felt that was the real story.
Not highly recommending this, maybe a good airport or beach read, but ended up annoying me more than anything else.

After having read and heard so much about the horrific and depressing story about Desert One/Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue our hostages in Iran back in 1980, it was such a pleasant contrast to read a success story about rescuing Americans from Iran. Reading this book also gave me a newfound sense of respect for Ross Perot (my disagreement with some of his political stances during his 1992 and '96 presidential runs notwithstanding).

Some random stream-of-consciousness notes I took while reading the book (Nook edition):

pp. 88-89: of course, during that whole infamous "you people" race-baiting flap during the '92 presidential race, the mainstream media and the NAACP conveniently ignored the story of how the Perot family had a history of giving black employees a fair shake.

--p. 92: "Paradoxically, the only way to rescue Simons was to ask him to rescue someone else." Nicely worded.

--p. 108: Hmmm, I wonder if Coburn's life as a chopper pilot in 'Nam was Ken Follett's real-life inspiration for the Ellis Thaler character in "Lie Down With Lions?"

--p. 252: the G3 is not a "machine gun" per se, but an automatic rifle ("assault rifle," if you will).

I worked for Ross Perot for 15 years and Ralph Boulware was my Boss. I have a gold clock for my service to Ross and to EDS(Electronic Data
Systems. He and Ralph was hero's to me and for everyone that worked for them. We were very proud to work for someone like that who would have your back no matter what the price. Purchased the book when it first came out and smiled all the way through until the end. It;s a true story and you will be proud you have take the time to read it.

Part quasi-campaign biography, part of a now forgotten chapter of the Iranian Revolution, Ken Follett's take on the rescue of two EDS employees imprisoned in pres revolutionary Iran is slow in places, but an overall interesting tale. Follett, known best for his "The Pillars of the Earth" series, does a decent job of capturing the drama, challenges, egos and most of all, the leadership of H. Ross Perot (which leads me to believe this is a pre-campaign biography). If you can get past the grandstanding of Perot's leadership, which are unmistakable, yet annoyingly thick in places, it's enjoyable. And while most focus on the November Revolution, which perminantly altered the leadership and course of Iran forever, the February Revolution was no less consequential. For that reason alone, I would recommend this book.

What a fantastic story. What to know the best part? It is 100% true. This book gave me a completely new understanding of Ross Perot. What an incredible person. I almost think that this book should be required reading. This book was a complete page turner and it was very well investigate and written. Ken Follett has outdone himself.