Remembering Operation Enduring Freedom

We all can recall where we were on September 11, 2001 when the Terrorist organization, Al-Queda, coordinated several attacks on U.S. soil.

What we might not realize is that only a short month later the United States responded, by initiating Operation Enduring Freedom.

Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7, 2001 with allied air strikes on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets. We linked the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to al-Qaeda, a group that operated under the Taliban regime’s protection in Afghanistan. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States responded by deploying military personnel in Southwest Asia; especially to the region of Afghanistan.

The earliest combat operations were primarily airstrikes from B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers as well as the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet.

Although primarily fought in the area of Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom provided a platform to face Global Terrorism head-on. What this meant was that, for years after the attacks on 9/11, U.S. and allied forces deployed all over the globe to directly engage terrorist organizations, as well as train those affected by terrorism – including the Philippines and other Asian countries, and even parts of Africa.

President Obama officially called an end to Operation Enduring Freedom in 2014. In all, according to reports, nearly 1.9 million personnel were deployed in the 13 years of Operation Enduring Freedom, and far too many have lost their lives in support of the Global War on Terror. We honor those who have served in OEF/OIF, the Global War on Terror all over the world, and those who paid the ultimate price to defend against terrorism.