Six Americans are dead, and there may be more before the end of Operation Epic Fury.
Before strategy and political debate, there are families whose lives have been permanently altered. Parents, spouses, children, and teammates will carry this loss for the rest of their lives. Their grief is immediate and enduring. The nation owes them more than ceremony. It owes them clarity. I say this as a veteran of the Global War on Terror and as someone shaped by a family whose service spans generations and wars.
When deploy, they do so knowing the risks. They volunteer to stand in harm’s way on behalf of a country that asks much of them. That knowledge does not diminish the weight of this moment. These six Americans were disciplined, trained, and willing to shoulder burdens most citizens will never see, and may never fully understand.
To speak honestly about their sacrifice requires speaking plainly about the adversary that created the conditions in which they served.