Posted on 05/03/2016 9:32:30 PM PDT by Trumpinator
The 31-year-old Keating attended the Naval Academy before becoming a Navy Seal based out of Coronado, California
Keating was the grandson of Charles Keating, Jr., the Arizona financier at the center of the 1989 savings and loan scandal, which led to five U.S. Senators being accused of corruption. The senators allegedly involved were dubbed 'The Keating Five.'
Keating was advising Peshmerga forces but was less than 2 miles behind the front lines in the town of Tel Askuf, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. A defense official told Fox News the he was killed by small arms fire, likely from an AK-47 rifle.
"The Peshmerga were trying to hold the line, but Navy SEALS at least 20 came in and pounded the s--- out of ISIS," military trainer Matthew VanDyke told Fox News, saying that "scores" of Islamic State militants died. VanDyke and three U.S. veterans were training Assyrian Christian forces battling ISIS in the region.
"ISIS kept sending in suicide bombers, SEALs pounded them and the [U.S.] airstrikes did a lot to help. Bullets flying everywhere, machine gun fire from ISIS, really intense firefight," VanDyke added. He said three Christian fighters and several Peshmerga were also hurt.
Navy SEALs joined the fight roughly an hour after it started, "heroically" beating back ISIS, according to VanDyke. He said the SEALs kept fighting until ammunition ran low.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“Where the hell was air support?”
It was hanging out with due diligence and reading comprehension.
“F-15 fighter jets hit about 20 Islamic State targets in an effort to repel the attack, the official said.”
“ISIS kept sending in suicide bombers, SEALs pounded them and the [U.S.] airstrikes did a lot to help.”
This was the only statement in the article about air support. Trumpinator added the “F-15” statement later.
My point is: If we are going to have US assets on the ground, especially SEALs, then by God we should have overwhelming air support to annihilate any threat from ISIS, not just a few sorties from F-15s. In addition to what I posted earlier I would also add AC-130 gunships and Apache helicopters.
20 F-15 strikes is rather substantial air support. About 80,000 lb.s of ordinance.
Waiting for the JAGs to assemble for a three-continent teleconference to discuss it.
It has always been America’s great fortune to have brave men willing to fight and to yield their lives for a cause greater than themselves.
Men of principle and of honor.
Often asked and seldom answered: where do we get such men?
In this case Puff the Magic Dragon would do.
That was not me.
The Pentagon needs to be fired. This is a tragedy.
Maybe the Pentagon can replace him with one of those new Super Woman types we hear are going to be so great?
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