Posted on 11/04/2024 5:19:37 PM PST by TigerClaws
Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, a 23-year-old U.S. soldier, has paid the ultimate price for a mission many experts warned was flawed from the start. This is the third American death that can be traced back to the Gaza Pier debacle – which cost taxpayers $320 million – but the first of a US Serviceman.
Critically injured over the summer during the Biden-Harris administration’s ill-conceived Gaza pier project, Stanley battled his injuries for months before passing on October 31. His death is a painful reminder of the risks taken by young service members on operations shaped by political optics and poorly considered planning.
Yet, as CNN’s Haley Britzky reports, the information came from the Department of Defense. Neither President Biden nor Vice President Harris has publicly acknowledged this loss. The silence from the White House is deafening. No statements of respect for the fallen soldier, no comfort extended to the family who gave their son for a mission that many in Congress and the military called a political stunt. For Stanley’s grieving family and his fellow soldiers, this lack of recognition adds insult to a tragedy that might have been avoidable.
Stanley, only 23 years old, was one of three U.S. service members injured on the ill-fated mission. His unit, the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, watched as he fought to survive after a non-combat injury in May, eventually being transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Tragically, he passed on October 31, leaving behind a grieving family and a unit left questioning why they were ever sent on this mission to begin with.
“Sgt Quandarius Stanley was an instrumental and well respected first line leader in the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary (TBX), especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” Colonel John “Eddie” Gray, commander of the 7th, told CTV Monday. “We will continue to provide support to his family during this difficult time. Our entire unit mourns alongside his family.”
It’s unclear exactly how Stanely and two other Army soldiers were injured but a senior source at the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command tells gCaptain it was likely due to being crushed by cargo that shifted in a wave.
See #20
Remember the Texas Guard soldier that drowned in the Rio Grande, I would have relieved the entire chain of command: no flotation equipment, no rules of engagement, etc.
After stepping on myself on my first tactical evaluation, I learned what I could or couldn’t get away with out in the field. With a CO like Captain Sobel, I sometimes went beyond established norms to make up for his mistakes. My soldiers trusted me, as I had taken 3 of the 4 platoons through evaluations. It earned me a lousy evaluation, which meant nothing to me, I was never planning on a career.
What mattered to me were my soldiers. After one lengthy outburst, I walked out of the CP, nearly ran over the Chief Evaluator. He just looked at me and grinned: “LT, that was beautiful!” At that point I knew we would pass. Where is that spirit today? My degree was in Public Accounting for Pete’ sakes?
It also cost far more the 300 million. It was reported to have been destroyed twice and had to be rebuilt.
YUP
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