North Fulton Today

The following is a recap of selected items from the City Council meeting of May 8, 2023. For the full agenda, minutes, and video of the meeting, please visit www.roswellgov.com/MeetingPortal.

To watch the meeting, please visit www.youtube.com/CityOfRoswell.

Selected Items from the May 8, 2023 Meeting

•    A Proclamation for the "Esteemed Veteran of Roswell" Award to United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant E-6 Ken Kraus.

In 1975, Kenneth Kraus enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and graduated with a promotion to Private First Class (E-2) from Marine Corps Recruit Training in San Diego, California. In 1978, Kraus's first Embassy assignment was Nicosia, Cyprus, a small independent Island Nation at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. Kraus was sent on temporary additional duty to the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran, to help bolster the Marine Security Guard unit while they evacuated Americans from that civil war-torn country. On February 14, 1979, the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran, was attacked, besieged and overrun by Fedayeen Marxist Terrorists. In a vicious two-hour gun battle, Kraus and two other Marines, held off dozens of attackers while defending a key entry point onto the compound and secured the safety of 20 Americans, mixed Foreign Service employees, and non-combatants, all held up in the restaurant. With communications compromised and telephone lines out of operation, Kraus and his fellow Marines were almost out of ammunition and options for a safe solution. Kraus knew that when they ran out of ammunition, the fighting would transition to hand-to-hand combat. After shooting at the attackers for two hours, Kraus doubted their intent to take prisoners and then the options would result in deaths of the Americans inside.

Kraus skillfully captured one of the leaders of the attackers while he was searching for a way to breach the doors in the restaurant. Kraus put his gun to his head and negotiated the safe release of the 20 Americans under his care and others as they left the compound safely. Kraus, along with two fellow Marines, surrendered in lieu of any more senseless fighting. Before surrendering, they destroyed their weapons and rendered their equipment useless to the enemy, according to enemy engagement and per standard operating procedure.

Following that perceived breach of negotiations, the leader of the militant group ordered Kraus to be viciously beaten and then shot Kraus, and it was his ballistic vest that saved his life at that crucial moment. Wounded and unconscious, he was removed from the Embassy compound and transported to a hospital. His wounds were tended to just enough to keep him alive.

While at the hospital, Kraus was blindfolded and kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to the infamous Evin prison, a Savak torture chamber. For eight days, Kraus was tortured for Embassy classified information and had to endure watching other prisoners being unmercifully tortured in the most barbaric and heinous ways, as well as being deprived of food, water and medical care. During that time, Kraus stood trial in a Mullah Court on the charge of murder for killing the attackers at the Embassy. The trial lasted about 30 minutes and he was found guilty. Kraus was held under a Fatwah, a Muslim Religious order condemning him to death. The sentence was to be executed by firing squad and he was returned to his cell in the torture chamber.

All the while Kraus was being held captive, secret and urgent negotiations for his release were being conducted by President Jimmy Carter, Ambassador William Sullivan and the United States Embassy. Under cover of darkness and without notice, Kraus was released on an Order issued by Premier Medhdi Bazargan from the Iranian government. Kraus was subsequently turned over to the International Red Cross and then a member of the United States Embassy on the condition that he was to be flown out of the country within 48 hours. Kraus successfully was flown out of Iran and arrived at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany the next day.

For the full proclamation, please click here.

•    Recognition of the City of Roswell Water Utility receiving the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Water Treatment Plant of the Year.

The City of Roswell Water Utility received the Water Treatment Plant of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) for surface water facilities producing 1-4.99 mgd of water. This award is given to the best-managed, best-operated facilities in the state of Georgia.

•    Approval of a text amendment to the Unified Development Code (UDC) regarding Section 10.2.10, Screening Walls and Fences, and Section 14.2, Defined Terms for Setback. (Second Reading)

Council Action: Approved unanimously with changes.

•    Approval of Ashley Manor subdivision property to convert their two existing private streets to public roads and for the City of Roswell to assume ownership and future maintenance responsibility.

Council Action: Approved unanimously.

•    Opioid Settlement and Condemnation Settlement.

Council Action: Approved unanimously.

This approved the Authorization for the City to participate in the National Opioid Settlement and it also approved the condemnation settlement for 50 Maple St.

As a reminder, meeting information for past and upcoming public meetings is available at www.roswellgov.com/MeetingPortal.

Meetings are also listed on the City meetings calendar, available at www.roswellgov.com/MeetingCalendar.

Original source can be found here.