Come to think of it, that was odd

Back in 1980 or '81 a girl named Stefania Somethingorother joined our high school class for a few months. Her family had moved from Oman where her father had been stationed (she said), and it made for an interesting story. Now, though, I wonder - a guy stationed in Oman, just across the Gulf of Oman from Iran, at the end of the Iran hostage crisis (there's a link for you youngins), is suddenly sent to a perfectly quiet little Illinois farm town of 800... what the heck was going on?

I was reminded of that by the obituary of David Smiley, who, among his other improbable activities, served as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's armed forces.