Service & Sacrifice: A Terrorist is Captured
A snapshot of the burdens being shouldered by brave U.S. troops and military families around the world.
A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies over the Syrian countryside on August 17, 2019.
Middle East
Thanks to the brave men and women of the U.S. military, another ISIS terrorist has been taken off the battlefield.
Earlier this week, military officials announced that American troops captured Abu Halil al-Fad’ani in a helicopter raid in northern Syria. He is described as “an ISIS Syria operational and facilitation official” who had “relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region.”
“The capture of ISIS officials like al-Fad’ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorists from the battlefield,” U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Troy Garlock said in a statement. “USCENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
About 900 U.S. military personnel are serving in Syria, with another 2,500 troops stationed in neighboring Iraq. We thank these warriors for continuing to fight terrorism in two of the world’s most dangerous countries. Please join The Stream in praying for their swift and safe return.
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Meanwhile, the U.S. military is condemning Iran for shining lasers from ships at an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter that was conducting “routine operations” on Wednesday night over the Arabian Gulf. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the helicopter was not damaged.
“These are not the actions of a professional maritime force,” U.S. Navy Cmdr. Rick Chernitzer said in a statement. “This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy risks U.S. and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately.”
Europe
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the role of the U.S. military (and American taxpayer) took center stage at Wednesday’s second Republican presidential debate.
As the candidates debated, more than 100,000 American troops were doing their jobs all across Europe. Large-scale U.S. military training operations have been taking place in multiple countries including the mountains of Bulgaria, as seen in the breathtaking photos embedded below.
Would you expect anything less from the @10MTNDIV?
Recently they #trained alongside our @NATO #Allies of Bulgaria participating in a training course involving high-angle terrain in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria, for Exercise Rhodope 23.#StrongerTogether #ClimbToGlory pic.twitter.com/w0PjzQaE1Z
— U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) September 26, 2023
Please say a prayer for all American forces deployed to Europe and around the world.
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Asia
A U.S. Army soldier who was taken prisoner by North Korea in July after crossing its border with South Korea is back in U.S. military custody.
Stars and Stripes reported that a video appeared to show Pvt. Travis King getting off a plane early Thursday morning in San Antonio, Texas, after the White House confirmed that North Korea had released him a day earlier. The 23-year-old soldier “is in good health and the immediate focus will be on caring for him and reintegrating him into U.S. society.”
Travis King appeared to walk off a plane in San Antonio early Thursday, dressed in what seemed to be civilian clothes.https://t.co/1dNhESQ3H0
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) September 28, 2023
It is still unclear why Pvt. King, who served time for assault during his deployment to South Korea before being released, decided to walk over the heavily guarded border with North Korea. “King is expected to undergo psychological assessments and debriefings” at Brooke Army Medical Center to figure out what happened, according to Stars and Stripes.
No matter the circumstances, we are glad that Pvt. Travis King made it back to American soil.
Coming Home
A group of Air National Guardsmen have returned home safely to Michigan after spending the last three months deployed to the Middle East.
Returning Air National Guardsmen are greeted at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan on Sept. 21, 2023.
Welcome home, heroes! Thank you for defending our freedom overseas.
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.
