Service & Sacrifice: Keeping Up the Pressure
A snapshot of the burdens brave U.S. troops and military families are shouldering around the world.
A U.S. Navy sailor stands watch aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole in the Middle East on July 22, 2024.
Middle East
The U.S. military is keeping up the pressure on Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the Middle East.
As the world awaits Iran’s next move against Israel, the Islamic regime’s terrorist allies in Yemen have suffered another setback. On Wednesday, the U.S. military announced that it had destroyed a surface-to-air missile and radar system the Houthis were using in Yemen.
“It was determined these systems presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on X.
The Middle East is fraught with tension amid Israel’s war against Hamas, scattered attacks by Hezbollah, and Iran’s expected upcoming strikes on the Jewish State. While the United States is still trying to broker a peace deal to stop Israel’s campaign in Gaza, this writer remains skeptical of negotiations that depend on the word of terrorists like the many killers inside Hamas.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III fighters, entered the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, is accompanied by Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 and… pic.twitter.com/RKoJQshigR
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 21, 2024
As fears of a wider war increase, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East this week. As CENTCOM notes, the Lincoln is “equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III” fighter jets.
CBS News reports that the Lincoln joins the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which has been in the Middle East since mid-July. The guided missile submarine USS Georgia is also headed to the troubled region, which CBS calls “a rare acknowledgment of U.S. submarine whereabouts.”
“The Pentagon said the U.S. is sending additional forces to support Israel if there is an attack (by Iran) and to be prepared for any escalation,” CBS added.
With U.S. military forces also dealing with increasingly frequent attacks in Iraq and Syria, the tense situation in the Middle East could explode at any moment. Please keep our brave men and women in uniform in the region, as well as those on their way and their families here at home, in your constant prayers.
Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Europe
Ukraine says it’s using American-made weapons in its ongoing counterattack against Russia.
Reuters reports that the Ukrainian military “destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons” this week in the Kursk region of Russia, which Ukraine invaded earlier this month. At the same time, Russia is ramping up military operations in eastern Ukraine, which has been under siege since February 2022.
As The Stream‘s Timothy Furnish recently pointed out, the Ukraine-Russia war is the world’s deadliest active conflict, with a minimum estimate of 98,000 deaths over the past two years. Please pray for the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire during yet another horrible chapter of modern European history.
#PaladinStrike@NATO #soldiers from Canada, Latvia, Romania, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom gathered to conduct field exercise Paladin Strike Aug. 5-8, 2024, at the Adazi Military Camp Training Area, Latvia.
Read more 👇 https://t.co/QnBlVjKKFY pic.twitter.com/yr70lDiFJ2
— U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) August 21, 2024
Meanwhile, more than 100,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed across Europe, including in Latvia, as shown in the X post embedded above. Latvia, which borders Russia to the west, is the temporary home of about 600 American troops. Russia has repeatedly threatened the former Soviet republic, which is now a member of NATO.
Please pray for all members of the U.S. military stationed in Latvia and all around Europe.
Coming Home
After seven long months at sea, the command and crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey recently returned home to Southern California.
A U.S. Navy sailor aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey reunites with his family during the ship’s homecoming at Naval Base San Diego on August 16, 2024.
Welcome home, heroes! Thank you for helping preserve our freedom. We hope you enjoy this special time with your loved ones.
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.
