Operation Midnight Hammer—Can’t We All Just Be Proud Americans?
By Rod Bishop
July 01, 2025
As a military aviator and veteran of more contingencies than I care to remember, I watched with bated breath and prayers in my heart on the evening of June 21st as Operation Midnight Hammer was unfolding on live TV. A 37 hour long mission, cramped cockpits, strapped to ejection seats, radio silence, with only a tiny toilet to take care of nature’s calls and a small cot to try and catch some shut eye, were just some of my thoughts.
But I went to sleep that night so proud to have been an American aviator—and an American citizen—proud of my nearly four decades of military service. Knowing what it takes to plan and flawlessly execute a mission of such scale and scope, at extreme ranges, over enemy territory, with incredible skill, precision, and courage, I saluted my fellow pilots and stood a bit taller, as a proud American Airman. What those Airmen, Guardians, Sailors, and Soldiers pulled off was nothing short of miraculous. No other country on planet earth could have done this—without a single casualty or mishap.
Yet waking up that next morning I found myself in a parallel universe. Rather than praise and pride, the airwaves were filled with bellyaching naysayers, all looking for a cloud in the silver lining….
Even allegedly “moderate” Senator (former astronaut) and decorated Naval Officer Mark Kelly (D-AZ), went so far to express there was “no endgame in mind, “ suggesting also that there were no specific goals and objectives. I thought to myself—it just seems like America is ever increasingly becoming a blob of polarized individuals from two different ends of a political spectrum instead of representatives of our nation’s motto of “E Pluribus Unum.” As a graduate of two of our nation’s premier war colleges (the Naval War College (Command and Staff) and the National War College--with two master’s degrees in National Security Studies), I take great umbrage with Senator Kelly’s assessment. The #1 lesson I took as a graduate from those two distinguished colleges is we often fail in warfare when we don’t clearly define the end state. What specifically are we trying to achieve? The #2 lesson? —"Have clear, definable, achievable objectives.” President Trump very clearly articulated our desired end state as: an Iran that was nuclear weapon free (and incapable of producing one.) The objectives, too, were limited, and deftly defined—demolish the nuclear weapon production sites that are buried deep in the ground that perhaps are beyond Israeli capabilities to destroy. That end state and those objectives, Senator Kelly, are stunning in their sharpness. Both the end state and objectives, thanks to the great skill and meticulous planning of those defending our nation, appear with high certainty to have been achieved. And again, the clarity in direction here from our President was blinding.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/07/01/operation_midnight_hammercant_we_all_just_be_proud_americans_1119854.html
