 The 158th Aviation Battalion was originally part of the 101st Aviation Group, the air arm of the 101st Airborne Division.In 1979, Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran and held the embassy staff hostage; the first rescue operation, code-named Eagle Claw ended in failure due to equipment and coordination problems, culminating in the crash of a RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter into a parked C-130 Hercules in the Iranian desert, killing eight servicemen.A second rescue attempt, Operation Honey Badger, was ordered, and Brown was involved in planning and preparation.