And now Niger?

"Representative Wilson, instead of relishing in the idea she might be a "rock star" because of all the attention she is getting in the aftermath, should instead remember one thing. Freedom is not free."

Many have been scratching their heads over the fact we recently lost four (4) honorable Green Berets in Niger. They were caught in an ambush by Islamic rebels. Other than that, we know nothing. Well we do know that some Representative from North Miami who dresses up everyday like a cowgirl, is trying to make this into a racial issue and political hay. But the rest of us are still asking the question - why Niger?

Before I go further, a bit of history. The Army Base I was stationed on in Okinawa had a movie theater. There was a training base for the Green Berets down the road, and another one for Recon Marines a bit further away. These guys would be back and forth to Viet Nam and then back to Okinawa for R+R and training. Every now and again, a bunch of Recons and a bunch of Green Berets would show up at the same time to see a movie. Lots and lots of trash talk, and sometimes push would come to shove. Both the Green Berets and the Marine Recons were tougher than nails, and it was always wise to give both of them a wide berth.

On one of the cable shows this morning, a former special operator was a guest. He was asked about Niger. Oh yes, we have a few hundred operators over there as we speak. And Niger is full of bad guys, ranging all the way from Boko Harem to Al Qaeda. Then he dropped the other shoe. Right now, we have operators in an many as 50 countries. 

These men are simply the best of the best. They have been trained to fight and survive in remote and dangerous places. As we remember from the movie Lone Survivor, as good as our operators are, they can be killed. They all know the risks before going into this field. But as the War on Terror continues to spread throughout the world, the four who died in Niger are probably not going to be the last.

Representative Wilson, instead of relishing in the idea she might be a "rock star" because of all the attention she is getting in the aftermath, should instead remember one critical thing. Freedom is not free. Our operators are truly out at the tip of the spear. Thank God for our brave men and women who protect us as well as other innocents, each and every day.