Service & Sacrifice: Always Thankful
A snapshot of the burdens brave U.S. troops and military families are shouldering around the world.
U.S. service members, employees and staff attend a Thanksgiving meal in Landstuhl, Germany, on November 20, 2024.
Europe
More than 100,000 U.S. military heroes stationed in Europe are spending Thanksgiving away from their families as the continent inches closer to World War III.
Warriors, including those pictured above, are eating their Thanksgiving dinners in dining halls instead of the warm comforts of home. If they’re lucky, they’ll get to FaceTime or Skype with their wives, husbands, or children at some point during the holidays. While many Americans forget they’re even there, these courageous troops’ mere presence in Europe is helping delay and hopefully prevent the deadliest armed conflict since the 1940s.
Russia said it was struck by multiple U.S.-made missiles fired by Ukraine in the last few days and is “preparing a response,” according to Sky News. The Biden administration recently authorized Ukraine to begin firing the ATACMS missiles despite Russian President Vladimir Putin warning of war with NATO and even a possible nuclear response to the strikes.
Ukraine is still being pounded by Russian firepower, including a non-nuclear ballistic missile attack last week. President-Elect Donald Trump has promised to help negotiate an end to the bloody Russia-Ukraine war early in his upcoming second White House term.
To underscore the tense situation for U.S. troops in Europe, Reuters is reporting that dozens of unidentified drones have been spotted hovering over U.S. military bases in England.
The news agency said a U.S. Air Force spokesperson confirmed the report on Tuesday, saying that “small unmanned aerial systems were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell from November 20 to November 26.”
British officials also confirmed the report and said they are supporting the U.S. military’s response to the threat.
This Thanksgiving and Christmas, please ask God to shield these American troops from danger as they serve our country overseas. We are always thankful for their willingness to put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
Middle East
Iranian-backed terrorist groups are not slowing down their efforts to attack brave U.S. troops serving in Syria and Iraq.
According to Stars and Stripes, a single American base – Mission Support Site Conoco in Syria – has been attacked a staggering 40 times since October 2023. “Many of those attacks have taken place in recent months,” the report added.
“We’re not just looking at war in Gaza, weren’t not just looking at war in Lebanon, but the U.S. is actually fully engaged in a hot conflict right now involving Iranian proxies and the Syrian regime in eastern Syria,” the Middle East Institute’s Charles Lister told Stars and Stripes.
Citing Reuters, the report stated that the U.S. military “had been attacked 125 times in Syria and 79 times in Iraq since October 2023.”
Day or night, the mission never stops!#Soldiers of the 3-112th Field Artillery Regiment with The New Jersey National Guard fire a M777 Howitzer as part of an exercise in Northeast Syria in support of CJTF-OIR.@CENTCOM @usarmycentral#OperatioInherentResolve #SoldierReadiness pic.twitter.com/GE7Hp0qNvW
— Operation Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) November 26, 2024
As The Stream has been reporting for years, thousands of American troops are still fighting ISIS terrorists in Iraq. While the Biden administration has a murky plan for withdrawal from Iraq, it will be up to the incoming Trump administration to decide whether the U.S. military stays in Syria. During his first administration, Trump withdrew a substantial number of American troops from Syria.
Whatever he ultimately decides, please don’t forget about these deployed heroes and their families over the holiday season. These selfless men and women will undoubtedly miss their loved ones this Thanksgiving and Christmas, but are valiantly fighting for a cause greater than themselves. We salute them and offer our endless gratitude for their sacrifices.
Coming Home
Is there anything more heartwarming than seeing U.S. troops return to American soil just in time for the holidays? That’s exactly what happened over the weekend in Arizona, when U.S. Marines returned after serving seven months aboard the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Indo-Pacific region.
A U.S. Marine greets his daughter after returning from a deployment at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona on November 24, 2024.
Welcome home, heroes! We hope you enjoy being back home with your families and friends. Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Tom Sileo is the author of I Have Your Back, 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.