A Gold Star wife&#8217;s simple Memorial Day request sparked an outpouring of support from Americans, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-resigns-from-trump-admin">outgoing</a> Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. 
It all started on Sunday, when Sharrell Anne Shaw posted a message on X, asking whether anyone visiting Arlington National Cemetery could stop by her late husband&#8217;s grave and share a photo. 
“This is probably a long shot, but if anybody happens to be in DC this weekend and plans on visiting Arlington, I would love to see a fresh photo of my husband’s grave in Section 60,” she wrote. 
Shaw identified her husband as Staff Sgt. Alan W. Shaw of B Co 1/12 Cav, 1st Cavalry Division, who was killed in Iraq in 2007.
The responses started flooding in, with many people promising to visit the grave or honor Shaw&#8217;s sacrifice on Memorial Day. 
Several, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, shared photos of themselves visiting the grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
“It was an honor to visit your husband’s grave today on your behalf, and to pay my respects,&#8221; Gabbard wrote. &#8220;Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the loved ones they left behind.  Thank you for your service and sacrifice.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It was an honor to visit your husband’s grave today on your behalf, and to pay my respects. It was wonderful to see the beautiful flowers representing many others who did the same. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the loved ones… <a href="https://t.co/GWx11xlecF">pic.twitter.com/GWx11xlecF</a>
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) <a href="https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/2058975663160226185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Shaw responded by thanking Gabbard for honoring her husband.
“Seeing you standing there at his grave honestly brought me to tears,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Thank you for honoring Alan, for saying his name, and for reminding me that there are still people in this country who have not forgotten the cost of freedom.”
On Monday, Shaw reflected on the viral response to the outpouring of support from everyone who honored her request.
“Last night, I made a simple request on X,” she posted. “I asked if anybody visiting Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day would stop by Alan’s grave and leave a photo for our family. What happened next honestly caught me off guard.”
“By this afternoon, dozens of Americans from all walks of life had made the walk to Section 60 to visit SSG Alan W. Shaw. Veterans. Families,” she said. “Complete strangers. People who had never met Alan, but chose to honor him anyway&#8230; For one day on social media, people put aside the constant noise and negativity and came together for something bigger than themselves. My notifications filled with photos, kind messages, prayers, and stories from people honoring not just Alan, but so many of our fallen heroes. I don’t think people fully understand what moments like this mean to Gold Star families.&#8221;
Staff Sgt. Shaw was killed in action in Iraq on February 9, 2007. 
In a separate Memorial Day post, Sharrell Shaw reflected on the holiday&#8217;s meaning for Gold Star families.
“Memorial Day will always mean more to our family than cookouts or a long weekend,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;It’s the sound of boots on concrete. The weight of a folded flag in shaking hands. Three children growing up with memories instead of a father.”
She added, “But over the years, I’ve also realized something else. The men we honor today did not give everything so America would sit in mourning forever. They believed in life. In freedom. In family. In backyard barbecues, ballgames, loud laughter, and the simple privilege of being home.”
“So yes, remember them. Speak their names. Teach your children who they were. Fly the flag. Visit the cemetery. And then live.”

Arlington National Cemetary

Tulsi Gabbard Visits Fallen Soldier’s Grave After Gold Star Wife’s Viral Request

Iraq War

Memorial Day

Military

Soldiers

Tulsi Gabbard

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
I’m lucky: I know where my husband is when he’s deployed, and I know how long he’ll be gone. I get to talk to him during deployment, and I can settle into a routine of communication and home life. Many military spouses don’t have such luxuries. But we all know what it’s like to hold things down on the home front on our own. And for those of us with jobs and kids, juggling all our responsibilities gets a lot more complicated. 
Similar to many women, especially with small children, many military wives I know don’t work. They know their spouse will be gone for months at a time, and it doesn’t make sense for their family. But for the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/files/Military-Spouses-Fact-Sheet-2024-12-13.pdf">64%</a> of us who do work, the juggling gets a bit more wobbly when we’re acting as single parents. Personally, I could never do it without flexible work. 
<a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/files/Military-Spouses-Fact-Sheet-2024-12-13.pdf">Over a third</a> of active duty families have children. When we had our first child, I fully expected to be forced out of the workforce, choosing my family life over my work. But Independent Women is a fully remote workplace, which allows employees greater flexibility to balance work and other responsibilities. 
Many brave women serve our country in the military. But it is a male-dominated profession, and the fact that <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/files/Military-Spouses-Fact-Sheet-2024-12-13.pdf">90% of military spouses are women</a> reflects that. For so many other moms, even outside military life, remote work is a lifeline, allowing them to provide some income for their families while balancing the demands of family life. And family life is uniquely demanding for military families with small children: <a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/data-research-and-statistics/survey-findings/spouse-voices/#:~:text=Spouse%20Employment%20*%2064%25%20of%20civilian%20spouses,average%20of%2019%20weeks%20looking%20for%20work.">46% of active-duty spouses</a> have children under the age of six at home.
Flexibility is a vital characteristic of military family life, and work is no exception. We’re asked to adjust to living in new locations, spouses being back and forth on deployments, and for many, a new job with each move. Many military spouses struggle to find work at all, with an unemployment rate that’s nearly <a href="https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1491&amp;context=ivmf&amp;_gl=1*2ag8aw*_gcl_au*ODc5MDc2MzQwLjE3NzY3OTQwOTg.*_ga*MTQ2NTM4NjkyNC4xNzc2Nzk0MDk4*_ga_QT13NN6N9S*czE3NzY3OTQwOTgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzY3OTQxMDQkajU0JGwwJGgw*_ga_SRVN5YVLB5*czE3NzY3OTQwOTgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzY3OTQwOTgkajYwJGwwJGgw">four times higher</a> than that of civilian spouses. But even with a similar <a href="https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1491&amp;context=ivmf&amp;_gl=1*2ag8aw*_gcl_au*ODc5MDc2MzQwLjE3NzY3OTQwOTg.*_ga*MTQ2NTM4NjkyNC4xNzc2Nzk0MDk4*_ga_QT13NN6N9S*czE3NzY3OTQwOTgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzY3OTQxMDQkajU0JGwwJGgw*_ga_SRVN5YVLB5*czE3NzY3OTQwOTgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzY3OTQwOTgkajYwJGwwJGgw">overall labor force participation rate</a> to civilian spouses, military spouses earn much less than their counterparts. After all, career advancement is more difficult when you can’t stay at a company thanks to military relocations, and your career comes second to your spouse’s. As a consequence, military spouses, on average, earn approximately <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/files/Military-Spouses-Fact-Sheet-2024-12-13.pdf">38% less</a> than their civilian counterparts.
This isn’t to say that we begrudge the service of our military members. We’re incredibly proud of their sacrifices, and are happy to make our own to support them. All families require sacrifices and compromise. But the military is a way of life that requires a full-family effort, and workplace flexibility lightens the load for employed spouses. 
I’m proud of my husband, proud of his hard work and dedication to our family and our country. And I’m happy to hold things down at home, taking a large portion of responsibility when he’s deployed. But without the ability to work remotely and enjoy a flexible schedule, I’d never be working today. I would choose my family in a heartbeat, but women shouldn’t have to choose if they don’t want to. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that many jobs can be much more flexible than they’ve historically been. I’m incredibly grateful that I can continue to work while also caring for my children and keeping things running smoothly at home. Employers should recognize the gift they can give their workers (and help themselves by keeping good workers in the labor force) by allowing them flexibility.
This military appreciation month, take a moment to recognize the families that support our brave service members. We have the best military in the world, and we should be immensely proud of the many sacrifices made by these patriotic Americans. And behind every service member is a military family that’s making sacrifices right along with them.
***
Charlotte Whelan is the policy managing editor at Independent Women.

GettyImages-1396215534

What Military Wives Quietly Carry While America Sleeps

Upstream

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Debates about &#8220;trad wives&#8221; and &#8220;girlbosses&#8221; place womanhood into opposing camps: career, ambition, and independence versus family, sacrifice, and support. But for me, as a military spouse, my life doesn’t fit neatly into either category. In many ways, it requires elements of both, as if the stereotypical definitions were both thrown into a NutriBullet and blended together. 
On the heels of celebrating my two-year wedding anniversary — in typical military fashion, apart from my husband — I found myself reflecting on just how much sacrifice this life demands, where uncertainty is constant and major plot twists are almost always guaranteed. 
It is a reality that is often difficult to comprehend unless you have lived it yourself or loved someone who has; plans and routines shift without warning and precious time together is limited. Just when I finally get used to having my husband home and we begin settling into life as a newly married couple, life shifts again — sending me back into a season of independence, holding everything together on my own and keeping the trains moving so that when he returns, we can pick up where we left off.
I have unlocked a side of myself I didn’t know existed: one shaped by resilience, adaptability, independence, sacrifice, and an unwavering love of country that few other experiences can teach.
I have learned countless lessons that have made me into a stronger person, a better spouse, and a more intentional daughter, sister, and friend. I&#8217;ve learned how to spend time alone, bring joy into the darkest days, and enjoy doing things independently. I also resist the urge to fully and honestly answer questions like, “Can’t you just call your husband?” No, he’s hundreds or thousands of miles away with little to no cell service, but I will certainly be sending a detailed email later.
One of the more challenging lessons has been learning how to prepare for and navigate the most dreaded word of all: deployment. Deployments are like Florida afternoon storms. Sometimes you see them coming from miles away, dark clouds slowly gathering on the horizon. Other times, they catch you off guard, and suddenly you are wrapped in sideways rain, running for cover, hoping not to get too drenched. Like storms, deployments often last longer than you think they will and have some surprise twists, but eventually they pass — making way for sunshine and the relief of finally having your spouse back in the same zip code again.
But most of all, being a military spouse has changed my perspective on time. In the seasons of separation, a day feels like a week. A week feels like a month. A month feels like an eternity. Every day feels like the movie &#8220;Groundhog Day&#8221; in the sense that it is just another day waking up, and your spouse and best friend isn’t home to share the everyday moments with you.
Time is so precious. Simple activities such as having dinner together, going on walks, or even going to the grocery store are times I cherish. During those long stretches of time apart, looking back on these memories makes me smile. 
In navigating challenges and uncertainty, I have gained a deeper respect not only for my husband’s service but for the country and freedoms his sacrifice helps preserve. Loving someone who serves, whether you are married or related to them, inevitably changes the way you see America. Freedom is not just an abstract idea. It is something that needs to be actively defended and preserved. 
For the last 250 years, America has represented a bold experiment in liberty. Generations of men and women have answered the call to serve their country, and some have made the ultimate sacrifice. Heading into Memorial Day, that reality weighs heavily, serving as a reminder of the true cost of the freedoms we are all privileged to live with today.
The title “military spouse” is one I hold with pride, and I know my time in this role is finite. With every twist and turn my husband and I face together as a team, I know there are millions of military families out there navigating similar yet entirely different situations. To these families, you are a constant source of inspiration, and your service and sacrifice should not go unrecognized. 
My short time as a military spouse only reflects a larger truth woven throughout our nation’s history: Military spouses have quietly upheld the home front through constant reinvention, emotional endurance, and steadfast patriotism, sustaining the promise of freedom alongside those who defend it. 
Not to mention how communication has changed. As my grandmother loves to remind me, “At least you don’t have to wait for letters, like I did, and can sometimes see his face on your phone.”
Looking back at old photos of my husband and me — smiling in the early days of dating or in our courthouse wedding pictures — I am reminded of just how far we have come as a team, and also how much I have changed for the better. 
As I look ahead, I carry with me both gratitude and perspective. I don’t fit the mold of either the “trad wife” or the “girlboss,” but I feel more fulfilled than I have in my entire life. I have been stretched in ways I never anticipated and have gained a deeper appreciation for the moments of connection that my husband and I are given. 
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday all year long, I am reminded that while uniforms may represent service on the front lines, it is the strength of families on the home front that helps sustain the promise of freedom generation after generation — and I am honored to be a part of that history.
***
Emma Miccoli is a member of Independent Women’s Network and a Florida resident.

GettyImages-1392185893

The Forgotten American Sacrifice Happening Behind Every Deployment

Director Michael Bay is on tap to direct a movie based on the epic rescue mission to retrieve two downed American airmen in Iran.
Bay, in partnership with Universal Pictures, is developing a feature-length film based on an upcoming 2027 book by author Mitchell Zuckoff. The book — and by extension, the movie — will tell the story of the two U.S. airmen who went down behind enemy lines in Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
The project will describe how their F-15E Strike Eagle operating under the call sign &#8220;Dude 44&#8221; was shot down over Iranian territory in early April, just weeks after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation in Iran.
According to the planned adaptation, the pilot, known as Dude 44 Alpha, was located and extracted within hours. But the plane&#8217;s weapon systems officer, Dude 44 Bravo, remained stranded in the rugged Zagros Mountains.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/daily-wire-explains-the-world-ep-8">DON&#8217;T WAIT FOR HOLLYWOOD: WATCH THE DAILY WIRE&#8217;S &#8220;RACE TO RESCUE&#8221; NOW!</a>
For nearly two days, the injured Dude 44 Bravo actively evaded capture by Iranian forces, hiding in the mountains and ravines while he waited for the rescue mission he knew was coming.
That eventual rescue came in the form of a daring night raid that included dozens of aircraft and hundreds of American special operations forces, all coordinating to fight off the Iranian forces — who were still desperately trying to locate the downed American first — and safely extract Dude 44 Bravo.
Bay may have gotten his start directing music videos — for everyone from Styx and Donny Osmond to Vanilla Ice and Meat Loaf — but he is no stranger to bringing heroic military stories to the silver screen. In 2016, he directed &#8220;13 Hours,&#8221; a film based on the siege of the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that took place on September 11, 2012.

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One Of America’s Most Dangerous Rescue Missions Is Becoming A Movie

Hollywood

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Iran war

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave his best Trump impression on Monday, while campaigning for retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in Kentucky.
Hegseth drew applause and laughter when he recalled President Donald Trump giving him a pep talk of sorts about the nomination process and his position in the administration.
&#8220;Trump told me, when he first offered me this job — he said, &#8216;Pete, you&#8217;re gonna have to be tough as sh*t,&#8221; Hegseth told Gallrein supporters, adopting Trump&#8217;s tone and mannerisms. &#8220;&#8216;You ready? They&#8217;re gonna come after ya!'&#8221;
Notably, Hegseth has been the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-cant-believe-it-was-published-wapo-attacks-hegseth-for-protecting-his-family">target</a> of a number of legacy media attacks since the moment Trump announced the Army veteran as his pick for Secretary of War. Hegseth withstood the personal attacks and was confirmed in January 2025, by Vice President JD Vance&#8217;s tie-breaking vote.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 LMAO! SecWar Pete Hegseth does a hilarious impression of Donald Trump
He’s actually got it down pretty good 🤣
“He said &#8216;PETE, you&#8217;re gonna have to be tough as SHlT…You ready? They&#8217;re gonna come after you!’” 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/utuKJII58S">pic.twitter.com/utuKJII58S</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2056432440235692536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
At the campaign event, Hegseth told a crowd of Kentucky voters that backing Gallrein in the 4th Congressional District primary race over Rep. Thomas Massie is a &#8220;no-brainer.&#8221;
Gallrein got the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-trump-goes-all-out-to-oust-thomas-massie">backing</a> of President Donald Trump, after Massie refused to support the president with regard to the war in Iran, the Epstein files, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and other issues.
“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what warfighters do,” Hegseth <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article315799747.html">said</a>. &#8220;Warfighters understand mission. They understand teamwork. They understand loyalty, and they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don’t weaken your own side. You advance to the objective, and that’s what Ed Gallrein understands, because he has lived it.”
The secretary further went after Massie for obstructing Trump&#8217;s agenda and &#8220;grandstanding.&#8221;
“Thomas Massie’s record speaks for itself,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Too much grandstanding &#8230; [with] years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats.”
The hotly contested and closely watched race is reportedly the most expensive U.S. House primary in history. Polls close at 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-trump-goes-all-out-to-oust-thomas-massie">Team Trump Goes All Out To Oust Thomas Massie</a>

US-MILITARY-DEFENSE-MEETING

WATCH: Pete Hegseth Recreates Trump Pep Talk Word-For-Word

Pete Hegseth Recreates Trump Pep Talk Word For Word 

Donald Trump

Pete Hegseth

Politics

An American intelligence assessment leaked to Axios Sunday claims the communist regime in Cuba is plotting an attack against Guantanamo Bay, American ships, and maybe even Key West, Florida.
The Cuban government has amassed more than 300 drones and has since started discussing using them to attack those sites, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/17/us-military-drones-cuba">Axios reported</a>, citing the intelligence. Axios did not provide any further specifics on the nature of the intelligence or where it came from.
Momentum toward a U.S. military action in Cuba appears to be surging, with the Axios report serving as the latest piece of the puzzle. Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba to warn them against attacking the United States, and told government officials that they must abandon their authoritarian system to receive sanctions relief.
The day before, it was reported the Department of Justice plans to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-plans-to-drop-the-hammer-on-former-cuban-president-as-trump-pressures-communist-nation?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DOJ+Plans+To+Drop+The+Hammer+On+Former+Cuban+President+As+Trump+Pressures+Communist+Nation">unseal an indictment</a> against Cuban leader Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two humanitarian planes from Miami. The legal tactic mirrors that which was used against deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. captured in January after indicting him for his role in narcotics trafficking.
U.S. officials say Cuba has been amassing drones for several years from Russia and Iran, with an increased number coming from Russia in the last month. An estimated 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with the Russian government paying Cuba a reported $25,000 per soldier. An official told Axios that the U.S. had intercepted communications that indicate the Cubans are trying to learn from Iran&#8217;s tactics in their ongoing war with the United States.
&#8220;When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it&#8217;s concerning,&#8221; a U.S. official told Axios.

Cuba Celebrates 65th Anniversary Of Fidel Castro’s Attack On The Moncada Barracks

US Intel Claims Cuba Is Plotting Attack Against American Homeland

Cuba

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview that he wanted to see U.S. military aid to Israel reduced to $0 within ten years.
Netanyahu spoke with CBS News&#8217;s Major Garrett in an interview that aired on Sunday, and he said that his goal was to see an Israel no longer dependent on aid from the United States.
WATCH:
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes he wants Israel to eventually stop relying on U.S. military aid: “It&#8217;s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support.” <a href="https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW">https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW</a> <a href="https://t.co/LIwJKrfMOQ">pic.twitter.com/LIwJKrfMOQ</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2053549148998099293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Do you believe it&#8217;s time for the state of Israel to reexamine and possibly reset its financial relationship with the United States — meaning what the United States provides to Israel on an annual basis?&#8221; Garrett asked.
Netanyahu&#8217;s reply was unequivocal: &#8220;Absolutely. And I&#8217;ve said this to President Trump, I&#8217;ve said it to our own people. Their jaws dropped, but I said, &#8216;Look.'&#8221;
Garrett prompted Netanyahu to elaborate, asking, &#8220;What do you mean?&#8221;
&#8220;I want to draw down to $0 the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have, because we receive $3.8 billion a year, and I think that it&#8217;s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support,&#8221; Netanyahu said.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-israel-does-not-want-americas-military-aid-money-anymore">Why Israel Does Not Want America’s Military Aid Money Anymore</a>
Garrett asked whether the Israeli Prime Minister was able to give him &#8220;a timetable&#8221; or an estimate as to when he thought that could be accomplished.
&#8220;I said let&#8217;s start now and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years, but I want to start now,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to wait for the next congress, I wasn&#8217;t to start now, and it could go down very fast.&#8221;
Netanyahu also weighed in on the state of the ongoing war in Iran, saying that he believed much of what the United States and Israel set out to accomplish had come to pass, but that it wasn&#8217;t over yet.
&#8220;I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes about the war in Iran. Netanyahu says highly enriched uranium must be removed from Iran and believes “it can be done physically.” <a href="https://t.co/N5XbvzpYa0">pic.twitter.com/N5XbvzpYa0</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2053482816134955065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump & Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Says He Wants To Completely Change US-Israel Relationship

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel

military aid

The remains of one of two U.S. Army soldiers who disappeared during “African Lion” military exercises in Morocco have been recovered after an intensive week-long multinational search operation, military officials confirmed Sunday.
The soldier was identified as Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old 1st Lieutenant from Richmond, Virginia, who served as an Air Defense Artillery officer assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/world-news/2-us-troops-missing-during-africa-lion-training-exercises-in-morocco/">According</a> to The New York Post, Key and another unidentified soldier vanished on May 2 during a recreational hike near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, Morocco, hours after participating in the annual African Lion multinational war games exercise.
Officials said the two soldiers were seen near ocean cliffs before they reportedly plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. “A Moroccan military search team found the Soldier in the water along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time May 9, within roughly one mile of where both Soldiers reportedly entered the ocean,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a <a href="https://www.europeafrica.army.mil/ArticleViewPressRelease/Article/4482802/press-release-us-army-recovers-identifies-one-soldier-near-cap-draa-morocco-sea/">statement</a>.
The second soldier remains missing as search efforts continue.
The disappearance triggered a massive international rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco, and allied partner nations participating in the exercises. The operation included helicopters, drones, frigates, maritime vessels, and ground search teams combing more than 12,000 square kilometers of shoreline and ocean over eight days.
African Lion 2026 is the largest annual U.S.-led military exercise on the African continent, involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. The exercise is designed to strengthen military coordination and readiness between the United States and allied African and NATO partner nations.
Military officials said a U.S. contingent remains in Morocco even after the formal conclusion of the exercises Friday in order to continue search-and-rescue operations for the second missing soldier.
Before joining the military, Key earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Methodist University in North Carolina, with additional studies in international business, entrepreneurship, and business administration. He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate before receiving his commission as an Air Defense Artillery officer in 2024 after completing Officer Candidate School and the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
His military decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
“On behalf of U.S. Africa Command, we extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of 1st Lt. Key and to the entire 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command family,” AFRICOM commander General Dagvin Anderson and Command Sergeant Major Garric Banfield said in a joint statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“On behalf of U.S. Africa Command, we extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of 1st Lt. Key and to the entire 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command family.”
&#8211; General Dagvin Anderson and Command Sergeant Major Garric Banfield<a href="https://t.co/f1ZxHptZAC">https://t.co/f1ZxHptZAC</a>
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAfricaCommand/status/2053546300122001826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
The tragedy marks another deadly incident connected to the African Lion exercises, which began in 2004. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured after a helicopter crash during the drills in Morocco.

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Body Of One Soldier Recovered After War Games Accident, One Still Missing

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NATO

U.S. Army

Troops forced out over the COVID-19 vaccine may soon see a dramatic change as War Secretary Pete Hegseth — even for those who do not wish to return to military service.
Hegseth announced the change in a video posted to X on Friday afternoon, saying that he planned to restore missed payments and enlistment bonuses — as well as benefits denied based on unfavorable discharge characterizations.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Biden administration’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine mandate was wrongfully forced onto our warfighters.
It was unjust, and we are doing EVERYTHING we can to make it right. <a href="https://t.co/xLWpYd0sMc">pic.twitter.com/xLWpYd0sMc</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/2052860665165992134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I&#8217;m directing the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness to establish a Department of War COVID-19 reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force,&#8221; Hegseth explained, noting that their first move would be to assist anyone who wanted to return to military service to do so. &#8220;The services have them right now. We&#8217;re establishing one at our level to oversee the entire thing. The task force&#8217;s goal is to bring back into service all those who desire to continue to serve our country in uniform.&#8221;
But Then Hegseth went on to say that changes were also coming for those who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine mandate under former President Joe Biden and opted not to put the uniform back on. Those who were denied education benefits due to a &#8220;general&#8221; discharge, Hegseth vowed, would have them restored.
&#8220;Even if you do not intend to return to service, the War Department will provide a path for resolution of unearned bonuses, upgrades to discharge characterizations that will unlock your well-deserved benefits, and removal of adverse documents from service files,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Further, I have directed a review of policies and decision-making to ensure that we do not go down this path again. You raised your right hand and sworn ill to serve and protect the Constitution and our nation.&#8221;
&#8220;You were mistreated by the Biden Pentagon, and we are fixing that injustice,&#8221; Hegseth concluded.
Between August of 2021 and the beginning of 2023, approximately 8,700 service members were forced out over Biden&#8217;s vaccine mandate — and more than one third of them (3,000) received &#8220;general&#8221; discharges rather than &#8220;honorable&#8221; discharges. Still more, because they were forced to separate prior to fulfilling their contracts, were denied promised enlistment bonuses and pay.
Typically those who receive a &#8220;general&#8221; discharge from military service are eligible to receive disability benefits and health care benefits through the VA, but can be denied access to education benefits through the post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
By March of 2026, some 600 Air Force members had already had their discharges upgraded. The Marine Corps and the Navy had the highest number of separations due to the vaccine mandate.

Secretary Hegseth Administers Oath Of Enlistment At Washington Monument

Troops Forced Out Under Biden Could Soon See Major Reversal

COVID-19 Vaccine

Joe Biden

President Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday after receiving what he said was a &#8220;totally unacceptable&#8221; offer from Iranian leaders.
Trump took to Truth Social late Sunday afternoon to say that he&#8217;d received a reply to his latest offer from the Iranian regime to end the war and strike a deal — and that he was not at all happy with what they&#8217;d said.
&#8220;I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called &#8216;Representatives.&#8217; I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116552102914488206">posted</a>.
In a previous post earlier Sunday afternoon, Trump had warned that the Iranian regime against continuing to play games with the United States — and he has repeatedly encouraged leadership in Iran to agree to a deal, often threatening to end the regime if a deal is not reached.on his timetable.
Trump said on Friday that he was waiting for an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-iran-letter-trump-is-waiting-for-could-decide-what-happens-next">important letter</a> from Iran — one that would determine his course of action in the coming days — and at the time, he seemed confident that Tehran was anxious to strike a deal.
&#8220;We’re getting a letter [from Iran] supposedly tonight, so we’ll see how that goes,&#8221; he told reporters, adding that he wasn&#8217;t certain whether or not Iran&#8217;s leadership was intentionally dragging out negotiations — a tactic the Trump administration had said they used in the past. &#8220;I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough.&#8221;
The Trump administration has been clear about the particulars of any potential deal with Iran, saying that no deal would be agreed to unless Iran agreed to stop any and all efforts to enrich uranium and develop nuclear weapons and to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The news comes as several skirmishes — provoked by Iranian attacks — had reporters asking Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-we-arent-a-stupid-country">Marco Rubio</a> why there was so little ceasing and so much firing in the current ceasefire.
Rubio pushed back, saying that &#8220;only a stupid country&#8221; would not fire back when fired upon.

US-ISRAEL-IRAN-WAR-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Nixes ‘Totally Unacceptable’ Offer From Iran

Global Politics

President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the Iranian regime needed to stop &#8220;playing games&#8221; with the United States, blaming former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for the fact that they&#8217;d done so in the past.
Trump laid out his thoughts in a Sunday afternoon <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116551553302876569">post</a> on his Truth Social platform, declaring that Iran would soon be &#8220;laughing no longer&#8221; if things did not change.
&#8220;Iran has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!), and then finally hit &#8216;pay dirt&#8217; when Barack Hussein Obama became President,&#8221; Trump began, noting that the regime would always call for negotiations but then would never come to the table in good faith — and he argued that Obama had fallen right into their trap.
&#8220;He was not only good to them, he was great, actually going to their side, jettisoning Israel, and all other Allies, and giving Iran a major and very powerful new lease on life,&#8221; Trump continued, referencing Obama&#8217;s part in sealing the Iran Nuclear Deal and in freeing up billions of dollars that were then delivered to the world&#8217;s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
&#8220;Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and 1.7 Billion Dollars in green cash, flown into Tehran, was handed to them on a silver platter. Every Bank in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland was emptied out — It was so much money that when it arrived, the Iranian Thugs had no idea what to do with it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They had never seen money like this, and never will again. It was taken off the plane in suitcases and satchels, and the Iranians couldn’t believe their luck.&#8221;
Trump went on to argue that Biden had been even worse for the United States — and better for Iran — saying, &#8220;They finally found the greatest SUCKER of them all, in the form of a weak and stupid American President. He was a disaster as our &#8216;Leader,&#8217; but not as bad as Sleepy Joe Biden!&#8221;
In summation, Trump declared that his administration would not tolerate an Iranian regime that stalled negotiations to wait out American presidents and continued to kill their own people simply for protesting.
&#8220;For 47 years the Iranians have been &#8216;tapping&#8217; us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests, and recently wiping out 42,000 innocent, unarmed protestors, and laughing at our now GREAT AGAIN Country,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They will be laughing no longer!&#8221;

Trump Scorches Obama, Biden As He Warns Iran Will Be ‘Laughing No Longer’

Barack Obama

A routine national security briefing took an unexpected turn Tuesday when The Daily Wire’s White House Correspondent, Mary Margaret Olohan, pressed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on reports of so-called “kamikaze dolphins,” prompting a moment of levity inside the room.
Olohan, asking about conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, raised both the issue of naval mines and the unusual reports circulating about weaponized marine animals. “For Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait,” she asked, “and can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we’ve heard about?”
Hegseth initially reacted with surprised laughter: “What?!”
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine interjected, joking, “I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphins thing — it’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” referencing the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Hegseth continued the lighthearted exchange before pivoting back to substance. “I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins,” he said, drawing laughter, “but I can confirm they don’t.”
Despite the humor, Hegseth addressed the underlying concern, noting that U.S. and allied forces are maintaining safe maritime conditions in the region.
“Ultimately, any follow-on effort, if there are mines identified, would be something that some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake,” he said. “But right now, we know we have a lane of safe passage that commercial shipping can flow through.” The exchange comes amid renewed attention on the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, as tensions with Iran continue to simmer.
<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/01/us-news/iran-eyeing-mine-carrying-dolphins-to-attack-us-warships-in-strait-of-hormuz/">Recent reports</a> have suggested that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has explored unconventional tactics to disrupt shipping in the region, including the potential use of trained dolphins equipped with explosives. Iran has previously acquired marine mammals trained by the Soviet Union, with programs that included attaching devices such as mines or harpoon launchers for naval operations.
While such claims remain speculative, they reflect broader concerns about asymmetric tactics in the region as Tehran weighs responses to ongoing economic pressure and maritime restrictions.
For a brief moment, however, those concerns gave way to humor, with Olohan’s question cutting through the formality of the briefing room and producing one of the more memorable exchanges of the day.

Dolphins in Caribbean Sea water

‘Kamikaze Dolphins’? The Daily Wire Asks Trump Admin What Everyone Wants To Know

Dolphin

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