Joint Chiefs chair spotlights 44 heroes who defended US base from Iran missile attack: 'Absolutely crushed it'
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed details of the young skeleton crew who were left to defend Al Udeid Air Base as they faced an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles on Monday.
"We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history," Caine said, referring to the U.S. surface-to-air missile defense system. "We were joined in this engagement by the Qatar Patriot cruise."
Caine said the 44 soldiers left on base after it was evacuated ranged in age from 21 to 28. They were left with only two Patriot systems to defend the base, which is a major headquarters in the Middle East and home to 10,000 deployed American soldiers.
"Imagine you're that young first lieutenant. You're 25 or 26 years old, and you've been assigned as the tactical director inside the command and control element. You, at that age, are the sole person responsible to defend this base," Caine said.
He did not say if any of the Iranian missiles got through the Patriot defense systems. The Qataris have claimed one missile penetrated air defenses.
"There was a lot of metal flying around. And yet our U.S. air defenders had only seconds to make complex decisions with strategic impact."
"Simply stated, they absolutely crushed it," he concluded.
Iran launched a missile attack on the Qatari-based U.S. base in response to U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran had given the U.S. a heads-up on the attack, in an effort to symbolically hit back at the strikes without escalating the situation.
Iran used short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles to attack Al-Udeid Air Base, but no casualties were reported.
The Al-Udeid base serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It also hosts Central Command's forward headquarters, as well as its air forces and special operations in the region. It has also been used as a headquarters for British involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq.
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