The Hawija Rescue

If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, this is purportedly footage of the recent hostage rescue raid conducted near Hawija, Iraq (south and west of Kirkuk). The provenance of the video has been debated online but is probably from the helmet cam of a Kurdish commando working alongside US Special Mission Unit personnel as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

According to United States Central Command, some 70 hostages were freed from ISIS fighters during the action, during which U.S. Army MSG Josh Wheeler (seen below in a DoD picture, returning home) was killed in action. MSG Wheeler, of Roland, OK, was a veteran who had completed at least 14 combat deployments and was the recipient of an astonishing 11 Bronze Stars.

Hat tip to the Special Operations Care Fund.