Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the brutal reality of troops in conflict… there will likely be more deaths before this operation is over.
So far, seven brave soldiers have paid the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Epic Fury.
Sadly, there will be more to come, even though Democrats continue to act as though the cost of freedom and a world free of terrorism is not paid with blood.
When involved in conflict, one of the most difficult roles a president will play as the Commander-in-Chief is to look family members of the fallen in the eye when their loved ones are brought home.
Trump has never shied away from the duty. Say what you want about the man’s history of “avoiding” service, he has met this duty and done so honorably.
So far, the Defense Department* has identified the fallen as: Maj. Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is also believed to be deceased, according to Fox News. (The seventh fallen has not yet been identified so as to give time to notify next of kin).
*(As an aside, I wanted to make one more point to address some comments. Yes, I still call it the Department of Defense. The reason is that it takes an act of Congress to change the name, not a new nameplate or an executive order. As a constitutionalist, I adhere to that rule and will continue to call it the Department of Defense until Congress says differently. It is not being disrespectful to our president; it is simply abiding by the document I hold dearest in this land… that being the Constitution.)
The pushback by Democrats on these operations sickens me on many fronts, but none more so than making these families believe their loved ones gave their lives because Donald Trump felt like poking a bear, but that is what they are doing.
For instance, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated, “Protecting the troops is key. That’s one of the reasons I want to stop the war. I think they’re just exposed to a completely unnecessary risk by what President Trump has done.”
The fact of the matter is that military professionals die during a conflict, and they are all aware of the possible cost when they put their name on that contract. By no means do I want to sound cold or indifferent about this. I have a nephew who wears the uniform and does so proudly, and I would be shattered if anything happened to him, but that is the reality of his chosen profession.
What I cannot sit back and accept is people acting as though Iran is not a threat and that we needed to wait until the candle was lit and a possible missile strike before doing something about it. When it comes to terrorism, you don’t wait for imminence. You get a sniff of something evil, and you snuff it out.
It would be ignorant to think that in an operation such as this, there will not be more deaths, as this would not be honest or realistic. To that point, Hegseth stated, "There will be more casualties. And no one is — I mean, especially our generation knows what it's like to see Americans come home in caskets, it's — but that doesn't weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish."
Let me give you a number… 2-9-7-7. Two thousand, nine hundred, and seventy-seven. That is how many people you lose when you wait for “imminent” or ignore intelligence.
And if you don’t know where that number comes from, then shame on you.
Perhaps if you did know, you would understand that while the loss of seven is both heartbreaking and tragic, sometimes it is also necessary to avoid the loss of thousands.
