Service & Sacrifice: In the Hurricane’s Path
A snapshot of the burdens brave U.S. troops and military families are shouldering around the world.
National Guard soldiers prepare supplies for Hurricane Helene in Tallahassee, Florida, on September 25, 2024.
Hurricane Helene
The U.S. military is assisting first responders and millions of citizens as Hurricane Helene hits our nation.
Helene, which made landfall overnight in the Florida Panhandle, is already causing severe property damage and catastrophic flooding in both the Sunshine State and Georgia. More states will be impacted as the powerful storm pushes inland with high winds and heavy rain.
In Florida, about 3,300 National Guard troops were activated to assist with hurricane rescue and relief operations with another 2,200 on standby as of Thursday. At least 250 were active in Georgia, with that number expected to increase. Stars and Stripes reported that North Carolina and Alabama were planning to activate National Guard troops in their respective states as well.
Airmen from the Florida Air National Guard’s 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) loaded emergency response supplies ahead of Hurricane Helene's anticipated landfall. #FLNG #HurricaneHelene #alwaysready #alwaysthere pic.twitter.com/aVkBH6QoN0
— FloridaNationalGuard (@FLGuard) September 26, 2024
Several U.S. Air Force bases in the storm’s path opted to close and clear out certain aircraft.
“Military officials at Tyndall and MacDill Air Force bases in Florida sent F-35 fighter jets, KC-135 Stratotankers, and other aircraft out of the storm’s path as it strengthened from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday,” Stars and Stripes reported. “Moody Air Force Base also sent its HH-60 combat rescue helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets away from the south Georgia post, officials there said.”
As a Florida resident myself, please join me in praying for all in the path of Hurricane Helene. We ask God to spare people’s lives, pets, and homes as this storm rips through multiple states and regions of our great country.
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Middle East
More brave U.S. military service members are being deployed to the Middle East as fears of an all-out regional war continue to grow.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that the extra troops were deploying due to violence between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder announced this week at the Pentagon.
Reuters reports that Iran potentially attacking the U.S. military in places they’re already stationed – dangerous places like Iraq, Syria, and Jordan – is a major concern as Israel battles its terrorist affiliates in Lebanon and Gaza. An expert told the news service that “U.S. troops could also find themselves targeted throughout the Middle East, if a regional war breaks out.”
“We have more capability in the region today than we did on April 14 when Iran conducted its drone and missile attack against Israel,” Ryder told Reuters. “So all of those forces combined provide us with the options to be able to protect our forces should they be attacked.”
U.S. Army Soldiers conduct security operations within the U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility @CJTFOIR pic.twitter.com/8sn1tHoEo8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 25, 2024
Also this week, about 600 soldiers with the Indiana National Guard left the Hoosier State for a scheduled deployment to the troubled region. After training for a month in Texas, the selfless soldiers will spend approximately nine months apart from their loved ones while deployed to the Middle East.
“The men and women assembled here today have answered the call to serve our state and nation,” said Maj. Gen. Dan Degelow at a farewell ceremony held Wednesday at Indiana’s Camp Atterbury. “You warriors have trained for this important mission, you have given and continue to give of yourselves, and you stand ready for what lies ahead.”
Please pray for these deploying warriors and all U.S. troops in the Middle East, including those still battling the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen. Your sacrifices are appreciated and will never go unnoticed by The Stream and its readers.
Coming Home
A group of U.S. Marines returned to American soil this week after spending the past six months deployed to Australia.
A U.S. Marine greets his significant other during a homecoming ceremony after a six-month deployment at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California on September 24, 2024.
Welcome home, Marines! Thank you for serving our country overseas.
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is the author of the newly released I Have Your Back, Be Bold and co-author of Three Wise Men, Brothers Forever, 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on X @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.
