Service & Sacrifice: ‘Full Ground Operations’
A snapshot of the burdens being shouldered by brave U.S. troops and military families around the world.
U.S. Army soldiers fire an M777 Howitzer during an operational rehearsal exercise at Mission Support Site Conoco in Syria on December 4, 2022.
Middle East
The U.S. military is set to resume “full ground operations” against ISIS in northern Syria even as tensions with Turkey continue to rise.
The Washington Post reports that military commanders had “restricted” the movements of American troops after Turkey – despite being a NATO ally – started attacking the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in response to a recent bombing in Istanbul. The Turkish government believes the Kurdish SDF is responsible for the bomb attack.
“Three U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said it is possible Turkey could follow through on its threat to send ground forces into northern Syria this month, potentially jeopardizing the Americans there and upending what has been a relatively stable situation for the past several years,” Washington Post reporters Dan Lamothe and Louisa Loveluck wrote.
As The Stream recently reported, one of Turkey’s strikes on the SDF threatened some of the 900 American troops still serving in Syria. Axios reports that CIA Director Bill Burns subsequently warned Turkey that its actions were putting American military service members in peril.
U.S. military forces in Syria and neighboring Iraq are clearly still in the middle of a dangerous, complex situation that’s still unfolding in the Middle East. Please say a prayer for their safety and for their worried families here at home.
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Europe
Eighty-one years after the United States entered World War II, approximately 100,000 American troops are deployed around Europe amid fears of another global conflict sparked by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
#ICYMI, @USArmy #Soldiers assigned to @FightingFirst arrived in support of Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce in Poznań, Poland, recently. We are proudly working alongside our @NATO #Allies and #Partners providing combat-credible forces to @VCorps.#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/iNXeiGKnGB
— U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) December 8, 2022
This week, U.S. military reinforcements arrived in Poznań, Poland. The brave men and women in uniform shown in the above photos will spend this holiday season helping preserve and defend freedom. Please say a prayer for these American warriors and their loved ones.
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Coming Home
A group of Delaware Army National Guard firefighters returned from a 10-month deployment to Eastern Europe on Saturday.
Help us welcome home these @DelawareNG firefighters from deployment! https://t.co/RWbsqjNWz4
— National Guard (@USNationalGuard) December 6, 2022
Welcome home, heroes! We hope you enjoy a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with your loved ones.
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is the author of the just-released Be Bold and co-author of Three Wise Men, Brothers Forever, 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on Twitter @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.
