Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed details of the young crew left to defend Al Udeid Air Base after it was evacuated due to an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles. The 44 soldiers, aged 21-28, were responsible for defending the base with just two Patriot systems.
“We believe this is the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history,” Caine said. “Imagine being a young first lieutenant, tasked with defending this base at such a young age.”
Iran launched a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base, which serves as a hub for US operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Qatar-based air base hosts 10,000 deployed American soldiers and is a major headquarters in the Middle East.
According to Caine, the US air defenders had only seconds to make complex decisions with strategic impact, but “crushed it”. Iran claimed one missile penetrated air defenses, while no casualties were reported. The attack came after President Donald Trump revealed that Iran had given the US advance warning of the strike.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/joint-chiefs-chair-dan-caine-spotlights-44-heroes-who-defended-us-base-from-iran-missile-attack