In November 1949, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was greeted on Godman Field at Fort Knox by Commanding General Maj. Gen. William Livesay.
The Third Armored Division Honor Guard and Company A, 38th Reconnaissance Battalion, posted at the airport to render honors upon the shah's arrival. From there, he was greeted with a 21-gun salute at the post headquarters.
While lunching at the Officers' Club, the shah tried his luck at a slot machine and hit the jackpot. To the surrounding officers' embarrassment, the machine failed to pay off. Apparently, the shah took the experience in good fun.
After lunch, the shah was treated to a "tank-infantry" demonstration at Observation Post 6. He departed the next morning to visit other U.S. destinations. A few years later, he sent his brother, Prince Gholam Reza Pahlevi, on a 14-week course in U.S. armored tactics at Fort Knox.
The Shah ruled Iran from 1941 until 1979, when the Iranian Revolution forced his removal. He died in Egypt the following year.
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