During an appearance on January 28th, President Biden announced the deaths of three servicemembers via drone strike in Jordan. Tagging Iranian-backed militia groups in the area for the bombing, he avoided making any promises about how the US would respond to their deaths. “We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases.” Pausing for a second and looking like he was lost, he added, “and we shall respond.”
While this statement alone did little besides announce their deaths, it is the last paragraph of the official White House statement he released that should bother every American to their very core.
“The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense. And their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation. Together, we will keep the sacred obligation we bear to their families. We will strive to be worthy of their honor and valor. We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”
Ignoring just how horrifically written this statement is, it creates no comfort for the families who lost a loved one. It inspires no fear in the hearts of the militias attacking our troops. Hell, it doesn’t even let those in Jordan who just lost their bunkmate know that the administration wants to help them even the score.
Rather, this message simply tells the world that President Biden is too weak and/or incompetent to answer back with a proper escalation of force. This is where we should be unleashing hell upon Iranian-backed militias and regimes that historians would speak of with reverence. A biblical-level attack in retaliation would send a real message.
Unfortunately for those currently wearing the uniform, the current commander-in-chief isn’t looking to defend our nation or move pieces to defend their lives. Instead, he is content with the status quo that keeps liberals from completely disavowing him as a coward. They simply overlook his decisions as the cost of doing business while they benefit from knowing that he will blindly run their playbook.
Naturally, the Jordanian kingdom has been silent on the attack. The outpost known as Tower 22, where the one-way drone crashed, isn’t publicly talked about by the kingdom. Nor are the 3,000 or so US troops on the ground there at any given time. With Iraq, Israel, the West Bank of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Syria all bordering the kingdom, the wrong response could trigger a swift and severe retaliation upon his people and forces.
Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a government spokesman, as claiming that the location of the base was inaccurate- the attacks happened in Syria. However, Google Maps and other released and declassified intel have confirmed the name and location of the base preceding the attack.
Long since an ally of the West and Israel, Jordan has provided oversight for the holy lands in Jerusalem, as well as launched airstrikes on drug smugglers and terrorists in Syria. Their preference for action over cheap words has made them a tremendous asset, but right now we need more than a few heavily discounted airbases. Instead, the region needs peace and stability.
While the US has essentially volunteered (God knows the contracts don’t pay enough) to help these nations protect themselves, we need to see results. There needs to be a collective meeting, with Jordanian and Saudi officials helping to run a fair and religion-free meeting. If Palestine wants a ceasefire like their representatives continuously claim, they need to show it by putting a pause on their attacks and releasing the hostages.
As all this instability mounts, Biden continues to invoke the memory of his dead son as proof that he cares about troops, despite his refusal to support them after they get out. His inaction to take care of them while serving and improving their living standards is pathetic. Outright ignoring them and making the VA worse and more inept than ever before has just been an insult to injury.
God bless our troops.