Three US Kurdish militia members brought home
AW1Ed sends us a link to the Washington Post which reports that US citizens who were killed fighting with the Kurdish militia against ISIS are making their last journey home.
The bodies of Levi Shirley, William Savage and Jordan MacTaggart will arrive on a flight to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, before traveling to their respective home states, said Shirley’s mother, Susan, and Savage’s sister, Brenna. Kurdish groups transported the remains by ground from Syria to Iraq earlier this month, weeks after they were killed in combat against the Islamic State while serving as members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a ground force aligned with the U.S. military.
[…]
[Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D.-Colo.)] said in a statement Wednesday that though the three men did not serve in the U.S. military, the United States has the responsibility to bring them home and to give the families relief and closure.
“While much of the process took too long, this situation was unique and extremely complicated,” Perlmutter said. “It took extraordinary measures by many people to get these men from Syria to the U.S. — especially given the ever-changing and dangerous geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. It seems we are in the final stages of this long and sad situation. I will be relieved when these young men are finally returned home to their families.”
The Post says that Shirley was denied enlistment into the Marine Corps because of poor eye sight and Savage had a history of seizures which prevented his enlistment.
Category: Terror War
Following up on this a bit. Levi Shirley claimed to have been in the USMC for two years. That wasn’t true and in the pictures and video here, he is wearing either the old style OD=green blouse with the Marine emblem on it, or in the Marines current camo uniform. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/07/21/levi-shirley-wanted-to-be-a-marine-instead-he-died-as-an-american-vigilante-fighting-isis-in-syria/
How like the WaPO to describe him as dying as an “American vigilante.”
I have absolutely no use for the Pravda-on-the-Potomac.
more on William Savage at http://www.voanews.com/a/american-volunteer-killed-battling-is-syria/3470931.html
more on Jordan MacTaggart here. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/front-range/denver/jordan-mactaggart-coloradan-killed-in-syria-liberated-areas-occupied-by-isis-terrorists
In certain circles, I suppose their deaths will be regarded as heroic. Me? I’m not sure what to think other than that they followed a life path they thought was a good, correct and righteous one. In the classical sense of the hero, I suppose each qualifies. And if they killed some Black Flaggers along the way, well, hell, who can argue against that?
I agree.
Concur. They did what they felt was right and actually took a stand instead of taking a knee.
Somebody had to … being as Obama is more concerned about his “legacy” than actually eradicating ISIS.
Anyone who takes up the fight against the evil in our world should qualify. ISIS is as evil as they come and these guys took the fight to them, so they are martyrs to a great cause.
They each had balls.
More than most I know.
Well, they did what they thought was right. They did it despite their impairments. Who can argue with that?
I have no issues with that. But to call them vigilantes? How much more tacky does WaPo want to be/
I’m guessing the warriors in Valhalla welcomed them, even tho they wore no rank.
RIP boys, ya did what you thought was just.
Can we consider them honorary veterans of a foreign US involved war? I personally do. Rest in peace.
Amen.
Brothers-In-Arms.
As a career infantryman…I get it.
Can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing.
Rest in peace.
I’m on a dinky Kindle Fire mini tablet, otherwise I’d copy and post parts of Shakespeare’s “St Crispain’s Day” speech. But you get the idea.
“But he this day that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother;”
Maybe I’m wrong but I’d say that a vigilante is one that takes the law into their own hands while the actual law enforcement is working the issue.
In this case – no one is working this issue. That would mean they did what they did because someone has to and no on is. if that makes sense.
Hey, they did SOMETHING at least. Can’t say that about MOST friggin’ sabre rattlers around here !
Now, were they efficient? Who knows. They did enough to get blown away.