Service & Sacrifice: Still a Target
A snapshot of the burdens being shouldered by brave U.S. troops and military families around the world.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower operates in the Red Sea on November 5, 2023.
Middle East
Just days after the Pentagon said attacks targeting the U.S. military in the Middle East had “diminished,” American troops were once again targeted by Iran-backed terrorists on Wednesday.
CNN reports that a rocket was fired at Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria on Wednesday. Thankfully, “there were no injuries or infrastructure damage reported.”
The network noted that Wednesday’s attack was the 74th such strike against the U.S. military since October 17, when the Iran-backed proxy groups started launching rockets, missiles and explosive-laden drones at American and coalition bases. More than 60 U.S. service members serving in Iraq and Syria have suffered injuries in the ongoing terrorist strikes.
Rocket strike on US coalition in Syria breaks week of calm https://t.co/ZNFzAu9GPQ
— The National (@TheNationalNews) November 29, 2023
As of this writing, the Biden administration had ordered four known airstrikes in response to 74 separate attacks on U.S. troops. As someone who’s been writing about the military for 13 years, I can’t think of one viable argument justifying the relatively minor response to Iran trying to kill and injure our nation’s brave men and women in uniform.
While almost nobody wants a wider war involving U.S. troops in the Middle East, the thousands of American troops sent there to fight ISIS deserve protection from Iran and its terrorist proxy groups. As the Israel-Hamas war continues, it is clear that American forces stationed in the region are still a target. More must be done by political leaders in Washington to keep them safe.
Please pray for our country’s warriors serving so valiantly in the Middle East, as well as their families here at home.
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Asia
At least one person is dead after a U.S. Air Force CV-22B Osprey crashed off the coast of a small Japanese island on Wednesday.
“A United States Air Force CV-22B Osprey from Yokota Air Base, Japan, assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, was involved in an aircraft mishap while performing a routine training mission off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan with eight airmen on board,” U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement.
CBS News reports that as of Thursday morning, authorities in Japan were still searching for seven missing members of the aircraft’s eight-person crew. CBS added that Japan has “asked the U.S. to stop flying Ospreys over Japan until the aircraft could be confirmed safe.”
Please join The Stream in praying for the fallen and missing airmen and their loved ones.
Coming Home
They just barely missed out on Thanksgiving, but a group of U.S. Army Reserve soldiers will be home for Christmas.
On Friday, the brave men and women in uniform returned to El Paso, Texas, after spending the last nine months deployed to the Middle East.
U.S. Army Reserve soldiers return to El Paso, Texas, on November 24, 2023.
Thank you for your dedicated service to our country, warriors. Welcome home and Merry Christmas!
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is the author of the forthcoming I Have Your Back, 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 X @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.
