God Bless Our Troops

Like many of you, I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend last week. My Saturday was an uneventful day that included watching one of our spectacular summer storms roll into the island late in the afternoon, a prelude to what would occur halfway around the world, while many of us went about our normal weekend. 

It would be an ironic coincidence that I chose to eat an early dinner that evening. The storm was gone, and I finished dinner and settled in to watch the hit movie Top Gun/Maverick, which was released just over three years ago. During all this time, our brave men and women in the military were in the process of undertaking one of the most perfectly executed surgical strikes in modern times. 

It all began with what many refer to in the sports world as a “head-fake,” when several of the stealth B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whitman Airbase and headed west as a decoy, creating the illusion they may have been repositioning to our base in Guam. Later inthe early morning hours of Saturday (just after midnight), the seven additional B-2 bombers quietly left Whitman Air Force Base. These would make up the core of the strike package, which would eventually drop 14 of the “bunker-buster” ordinance on their targets in Iran, this after undertaking the 18-hour flight to their end target and multiple refueling operations. 

When the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Craine, addressed the assembled members of the press on Sunday morning, he projectedgreat pride in the planning, execution, and especially the personnel who executed the mission without a flaw. 

In the 25 minutes between 2:10 AM and 2:35 AM Iranian time the clock had run out on the rogue regime’s stalling tactics to continue their push towards obtaining the goal of obtaining a thermal nuclear device. Couple that with the continued use of proxy terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthis, Hamas, the many Iraqi Militias, and other radical groups throughout the Middle East and Europe, and the time had come for decisive action. 

He was quick to point out that the actual damage assessment regarding the three nuclear sites that were targeted has yet to be done, but satellite imagery shows detailed, substantial damage. 

The world has changed a great deal since we entered the nuclear age. Rogue elements are scattered throughout the world, many backed by unstable regimes such as Iran, who do not share our respect for the value of life. You can see that in how these oppressive regimes treat their own people. 

I do sincerely believe that our leaders took a measured and reasonable decision to take the issue of a nuclear armed Iran off the table. It was also a demonstration to those whodesire to do us harm that we will not shirk from our responsibility to protect our citizens, as well as those who choose to stand with us as allies as we seek to make this a world community to live in harmony with each other.  

I can only hope that the leadership of Iran comes to its senses and rejoins the world community as a nation that sees a road ahead that will provide its citizens with an atmosphere that promotes a better quality of life for its people and friendship and cooperation amongst its neighbors. 

What I am sure of today is that we have had strong leadership over the years that has taken us through difficult times, some of which have tested our resolve as citizens of this great country, but in the end, have come out stronger and better for it. 

The other thing I am sure of is that we have the finest young men and women serving this nation in uniform. They carry out the mission and wear the flag of our nation with pride and integrity. They do so because they believe in the vision that our forefathers had for this nation and the foundation it was built upon.  

God bless the men and women who flew on that mission and those who supported them on the ground and in the air. God Bless America.