Thousands flock to D.C. to celebrate Army’s 250th birthday, Israel claims air superiority in Tehran airspace, new South Korean president to usher in ‘new area of reconciliation with North Korea.
1. Thousands of people flocked to the nation’s capital Saturday for a city-wide celebration to honor the Army’s 250th birthday. “Two and a half centuries defending this nation. Two and a half centuries of service, sacrifice and strength. More importantly, two and a half centuries of unwavering commitment to a simple but profound promise: This we’ll defend,” said retired Master Sgt. Matthew Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient. But the day is not just about celebrating the Army’s birthday, he said. “We reaffirm the bond between soldier and nation, history and future, between the people and those who defend them. Without the unwavering support of our nation, our army would not exist,” Williams said. Saturday’s festival at the National Mall in Washington included more than three dozen interactive booths, as well as military equipment and robotics displays. The public also had the opportunity to interact with soldiers and Army astronauts, participate in fitness competitions and watch the Army cut its birthday cake.
2. Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, killing at least five people, while Israel claimed in the fourth day of the conflict that it had now achieved “aerial superiority” over Tehran and could fly over the Iranian capital without facing major threats. After days of attacks on Iranian air defenses and missile systems, the Israeli military said its aircraft now control the skies from western Iran to Tehran and had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers, a third of Iran’s total, that had been firing at Israel in overnight missions. “Now we can say that we have achieved full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace,” said military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.
3. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Sunday that his administration would usher in “a new era of reconciliation” with North Korea and work to restore long-defunct emergency communication channels with the regime. Lee, who was inaugurated this month, said in a Facebook post that he intends to “put an end to wasteful hostile actions and resume conversation and cooperation.” “In recent years, we have been returning to the cold tensions of the past,” he wrote. “I am deeply concerned about the communication and discourse between the South and North that were cut off, as well as the aggravated tension and anxiety near the border.” The first step to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula is restoring inter-Korean communication lines, Lee said.
4. President Donald Trump rejected a plan presented by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel’s military operation aimed at decapitating Iran’s nuclear program from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region.
5. The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade is mourning the loss of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dustin K. Wright, who died last week in a helicopter crash, saying he served with “strength and honor.” Wright died as a result of wounds in the crash of an AH-64 Apache helicopter at 6:45 p.m. CT on Wednesday. “A former infantryman, Dustin cherished every opportunity to be outside and support ground troops. He did so with strength and honor. We will forever cherish the memories of his service, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew him,” Col. Tyler Partridge, commander, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, said in a news release. A second soldier involved in the accident sustained minor injuries. He was immediately evacuated to the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital and released the night of the incident.
- Honor & Remembrance