Posted on 10/23/2015 4:01:56 PM PDT by FourPeas
Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler of Roland, Oklahoma, a highly-decorated soldier and father of four, rushed into action when he heard sounds of gunfire coming from a prison in Iraq where dozens of ISIS-held hostage were being held on Thursday.
Those actions, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters on Friday, weren't part of the original rescue mission plan, but were critical to its success.
"I am immensely proud of this young man," Carter said adding that his thoughts and prayers go out to Wheeler's family.
Earlier Friday, Defense officials confirmed to NBC News Wheeler, 39, as the American Delta Force commando killed in a rescue mission in Iraq on Thursday.
Acting on a tip that dozens of ISIS-held hostages were about to be slaughtered, U.S. and Kurdish commandos stormed a prison in northeastern Iraq before dawn Thursday, rescuing the captives in a firefight that ended with Wheeler being shot to death, officials said.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday that Wheeler "did what proud Americans do" when he ran toward the sound of gunfire.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
2nd place I’ve seen him ID’d as Delta.
God be with him, and with his family. May he rest in peace.
If the enemy islamist CIC can find any way to screw over an American soldier, he’ll do it.
did he violate his orders?
He was a courageous man, no doubt. And should be honored and his family taken care of.
And I hate to go down this road, but just when Russia is clobbering ISIS, we free hostages in an assault with the kurds for possibly the first time since i can remember?
and 60 minutes is showing our pinpoint attacks on ISIS this weekend?
did obama risk lives for propaganda?
either way, people got freed, and we lost a great american.
i hate my president.
it probably distracted from clintoon’s hearing too.
From what I understand the benefits issue has to do with the determination that there would be no boots on the ground
No disrespect to this hero but who did they rescue. I don’t trust anything coming out of the administration. The story is already changing. First it was Kurdish fighters. Then no Kurdish fighters but Iraqis. Tonight I hear something about some ISIS captives were taken.
Approximately 70 people. Intel saw freshly dug graves & had info they would be killed after Friday prayers.
RIP.
I am not happy as to the loss of an American life for muslims, but, given that Kurds were freed as well, softens my thoughts a bit.
Officials say that 70 prisoners were rescued: 20 Iraqi security forces as well as Iraqi civilians, along with ISIS fighters accused of spying. Missing, however, were the Kurdish captives they were sent in to rescue.
On Fox News about half hour ago, the news guy said that the family WOULD get full combat benefits.
Yeah, and the liberal MSM says he brought it on himself for running to a gunfight. They’ll Chris Kyle him for sure.
Good. Thank you. Last I could find the Pentagon was still calling considering it non-combat. Whatever they call it, his wife and four sons deserve to be taken care of.
I read the raid was to rescue Peshmerga ( Kurdish fighters) but the facility had no peshmerga so none of the “ rescued” were Kurds
Bad Intel or.... .?
So who and what they risked lives to rescue is unidentified and a brave American is dead for maybe no good reason
or worse, if this “ raid” turned out to be a false operation to get some of our ISIS allies out of Iraq or we were played by ISIS
Authorities said the raiders killed and captured a number of militants and recovered what the Pentagon called a trove of valuable intelligence about the terrorist organization.
From here.
I wouldn't put much faith in such heresay.......In fact, I would call it out and out bogus.
Considering it was a friend who had just heard it on the news, calling it bogus didn’t seem reasonable.
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