We reported to you last week that two members of our military had been killed in an ambush in Syria.
That report here in case you missed it:
BREAKING: U.S. Soldiers Killed in Ambush Near Palmyra as Syria Fighting Intensifies Again
Their names were not released until today.
Sadly, the two have been identified as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, both of the Iowa National Guard:
Our entire National Guard family mourns the loss of Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa-the Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers who were ambushed and killed in Syria. Their mission was in support of… pic.twitter.com/eXcyCquOwb
— Gen. Steven Nordhaus (@ChiefNGB) December 15, 2025
From the NY Post:
The US troops who were killed and injured in Saturday’s ambush attack in Syria were members of the Iowa National Guard, a senior US official told Fox News.
An ISIS gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator, the official said.
Three additional US soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Preliminary information suggests the attacker was once affiliated with the Syrian government forces and had been a low-level member of the Syrian Security Forces, before later becoming connected to ISIS, the official said.
“He was not a part of the official delegation that was being escorted by the US and Syrian troops,” the official said. “… This would not be considered a ‘green on blue’ incident because the Syrian gunman was not part of the US/Syrian partnered delegation.”
Earlier Saturday, US Central Command confirmed the deaths and injuries were a “result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman in Syria.”
President Donald Trump warned that there will be “very serious retaliation” following the ambush.
ADVERTISEMENT“We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
While I do not in any way want to diminish the service of these two heroic and wonderful individuals, can we take a moment to discuss why in the Hell the IOWA National Guard is serving over in Syria?
Let alone the question of whether we need to continue being the World Police, deploying troops in virtually every other country on the face of the Earth, that's a different discussion -- but assuming there is a valid need for US Troops in Syria, are you telling my the Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force are not sufficient? We really need to send the IOWA National Guard?
Perhaps if we kept the Iowa National Guard in, oh I don't know....IOWA....perhaps we could start making Iowa Great Again instead of Syria?
And almost certainly if we kept the Iowa National Guard in Iowa these two individuals would still be alive today as I type this.
I don't mean to go all "Code Pink" on you, but enough is enough....bring our troops home!
And if you can't bring all of our troops home, let's start with the National Guard.
The very name says NATIONAL Guard. If there is any branch of the USMIL that should stay home on domestic soil, shouldn't it be the National Guard?
Can we start there?
Start by bringing every last National Guard member home.
This is an abomination:
Why Have ALL 50 States Deployed National Guard Units Overseas?
You learn something new every day...
Until recently, I thought the National Guard was strictly a domestic operation designed to protect people here at home.
While the Army, Navy and Air Force were designed to protect us in international conflict, I was always under the impression that the purpose of the National Guard was to make sure we had sufficient protections and help back here at home, if our military was deployed elsewhere.
I was shocked to learn that is NOT the case.
In fact, all 50 states have deployed troops overseas just within the last 4 years, with many currently deployed as we speak!
Once again, it's America LAST for the Biden Regime!
Draining our resources and our treasure and sending them everywhere but the actual United States.
This is so wrong!
Here is a comprehensive list of all 50 states and where their National Guard units have deployed:
1. Alabama
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: Supporting Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait and security operations in the Horn of Africa.
2. Alaska
- Deployment Focus: Asia-Pacific
- Recent Missions: Working closely with Mongolia as part of the State Partnership Program and supporting disaster relief efforts in the Pacific(
).
3. Arizona
- Deployment Focus: Middle East
- Recent Missions: Arizona's National Guard has provided troops to Kuwait for Operation Spartan Shield.
4. Arkansas
- Deployment Focus: Middle East
- Recent Missions: The Arkansas National Guard has contributed to operations in Iraq and Kuwait, particularly in logistics and sustainment roles(
)(
).
5. California
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: Supporting NATO efforts in Europe, especially in Romania, and assisting with humanitarian aid in Africa(
).
6. Colorado
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: Colorado's National Guard has been involved in NATO exercises in Eastern Europe(
).
7. Connecticut
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: Units have been deployed to Djibouti for security operations and supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq(
).
8. Delaware
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: Delaware’s Air National Guard has participated in NATO operations, particularly involving airlift missions to Eastern Europe.
9. Florida
- Deployment Focus: Central America and Middle East
- Recent Missions: Florida's National Guard has supported counter-drug operations in Central America and has participated in missions in the Middle East(
).
10. Georgia
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Middle East
- Recent Missions: Georgia deployed over 1,000 troops to Europe and the Middle East for a combination of support operations and multinational exercises(
).
11. Hawaii
- Deployment Focus: Asia-Pacific
- Recent Missions: Hawaii's National Guard has been involved in Pacific-based training exercises and partnerships, particularly with Indonesia.
12. Idaho
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: Deployed troops to Europe for Air Defender exercises and to Africa for African Lion exercises(
).
13. Illinois
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: Illinois troops have been involved in Operation Spartan Shield and supporting operations in Djibouti(
).
14. Indiana
- Deployment Focus: Middle East
- Recent Missions: Deployed 600 soldiers to the Middle East as part of Operation Spartan Shield in September 2024(
).
15. Iowa
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: Participating in multinational exercises, including NATO-led operations.
16. Kansas
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: Kansas units have been actively involved in NATO training missions.
17. Kentucky
- Deployment Focus: Middle East
- Recent Missions: Supporting peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Middle Eastern security efforts.
18. Louisiana
- Deployment Focus: Central and South America
- Recent Missions: Focused on disaster relief and counter-drug operations(
)(
).
19. Maine
- Deployment Focus: Africa
- Recent Missions: Deployed personnel to Africa for security operations and training with African nations.
20. Maryland
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Middle East
- Recent Missions: Maryland’s National Guard has contributed to NATO exercises in Europe and provided combat support in the Middle East(
).
21. Massachusetts
- Deployment Focus: Africa and Europe
- Recent Missions: Focused on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in Africa, as well as NATO operations in Europe.
22. Michigan
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: Deployed troops to Sierra Leone as part of the State Partnership Program and contributed to NATO missions(
).
23. Minnesota
- Deployment Focus: Middle East
- Recent Missions: Deployed 550 soldiers to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield(
).
24. Mississippi
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: Supporting ongoing missions in Africa and assisting with peacekeeping in the Middle East.
25. Missouri
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Middle East
- Recent Missions: Contributed to logistics support in both regions(
).
26. Montana
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Europe
- Recent Missions: Montana's National Guard has been engaged in NATO training in Europe and deployed troops to the Middle East for support operations(
)(
).
27. Nebraska
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: Participated in NATO's Ample Strike exercises and provided air refueling support for European missions(
).
28. Nevada
- Deployment Focus: Asia-Pacific and Europe
- Recent Missions: Nevada Guard members have supported Pacific-based training exercises and European defense initiatives(
)(
).
29. New Hampshire
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: New Hampshire Guard units have been deployed to support peacekeeping efforts in Africa and Middle Eastern operations(
).
30. New Jersey
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: New Jersey units have played a key role in NATO's rotational presence in Europe(
).
31. New Mexico
- Deployment Focus: Central America and Europe
- Recent Missions: Involved in humanitarian missions in Central America and NATO's defense operations in Europe(
)(
).
32. New York
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: New York has contributed to peacekeeping missions in Africa and combat readiness efforts in Europe(
).
33. North Carolina
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Middle East
- Recent Missions: North Carolina National Guard members have supported peacekeeping and training missions in Kosovo and NATO-led efforts in Eastern Europe(
)(
).
34. North Dakota
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Africa
- Recent Missions: North Dakota troops have supported operations in Africa and provided logistics support in the Middle East(
)(
).
35. Ohio
- Deployment Focus: Europe and Africa
- Recent Missions: Ohio Guard units have been deployed to Europe to support NATO and contributed to peacekeeping efforts in Africa(
).
36. Oklahoma
- Deployment Focus: Europe
- Recent Missions: Oklahoma National Guard has participated in multinational exercises in Europe, particularly focused on logistics and support operations(
).
37. Oregon
- Deployment Focus: Kosovo and Europe
- Recent Missions: Oregon troops have been deployed to Kosovo as part of NATO peacekeeping operations(
).
38. Pennsylvania
- Deployment Focus: Middle East and Europe
- Recent Missions: Pennsylvania National Guard units have been active in both the Middle East and Europe, focusing on NATO missions(
)(
).
39. Rhode Island
- Deployment Focus: Africa and Europe
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