Service & Sacrifice: ‘Please Pray’
A snapshot of the burdens being shouldered by brave US troops and military families around the world.
A US Army HH-60M Medevac Black Hawk helicopter flies over Parwan province, Afghanistan, in 2012.
Training
A tragic military training accident has taken the lives of several US troops.
According to the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed at around 10 p.m. local time Wednesday night in Trigg County, Kentucky. The accident involved US Army soldiers training at Fort Campbell.
“The command is entirely focused on caring for the service members and their families,” said a statement by the 101st Airborne Division.
We can confirm two aircraft from the 101st were involved in an accident last night resulting in serveral casualties.
Right now the focus is on the Soldiers and their families who were involved. pic.twitter.com/eG5ndWVvbT
— 101st Airborne Div. (@101stAASLTDIV) March 30, 2023
On Thursday morning, ABC News reported that all nine US troops aboard the two helicopters were killed in the crash. As families of the fallen are officially notified by the Army, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is asking all of us to “please pray for those affected.”
We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected. @kystatepolice, @KentuckyEM and local officials are responding. We will share more information as available. Please pray for all those affected.
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 30, 2023
Indeed, we will be praying for each and every military family member, friend and fellow soldier who lost loved ones on Wednesday night in Kentucky. May God comfort them during this dark hour of sadness and pain. We will never forget these fallen American heroes or those left behind.
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Middle East
The US military is staying in Syria despite last week’s attack by an Iranian drone that killed an American contractor and wounded several service members.
“Here’s what’s not gonna change … the mission in ISIS is not gonna change,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday, as quoted by The Hill. “We have under 1,000 troops in Syria that are going after that network which is, while greatly diminished, still viable and still critical.”
The New York Times reports that after launching retaliatory airstrikes against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps last Thursday, President Joe Biden decided not to continue striking back on Friday.
“But they also seemed eager to move on, avoid escalating the back-and-forth strikes into a wider war with Iran and its proxies, and remain focused on the broader mission of helping root out the pockets of (ISIS) fighters still carrying out guerrilla attacks in the region,” Eric Schmitt reported.
Iran has launched 83 attacks against Americans since Joe Biden took office. We’ve responded with strikes only four times.
What kind of message does this send, when we wait to respond until an American is killed? pic.twitter.com/W5wyVYZdSM
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) March 28, 2023
Meanwhile, a Task & Purpose report highlights the troubling fact that Iran has launched attacks directed at the US military a staggering 83 times in Syria and Iraq since President Biden was inaugurated in 2021. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Republican Senator Tom Cotton went back and forth over the president’s response to the attacks this week on Capitol Hill, as seen in the video embedded above.
Please continue to pray for all US military forces serving in Syria, Iraq and across the Middle East region.
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Coming Home
A group of US Army paratroopers recently returned home after serving a deployment to Europe, where more than 100,000 American troops are stationed amid the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war.
U.S. Army soldiers reunite with their loved ones during a welcome home ceremony at Fort Campbell in Kentucky on March 25, 2023.
Welcome home, warriors! Thank you for your service to our country. We hope you enjoy some well-deserved time off with your families!
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is the author of the recently 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.
