Army Black Ops Legend Killed In Daring Hostage Rescue Mission Represents Best Of America

Wednesday marks the 10-year anniversary of Delta Force operator Joshua Wheeler making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Wheeler was killed in action in a daring hostage rescue mission against ISIS on Oct. 22, 2015 in Iraq. He was 39-years-old at the time of his death.

A team of Delta Force commandos from A Squadron and Kurdish fighters were inserted on target north of Hawija to free roughly 70 hostages.

Exact details of what happened aren't fully known even a decade later. However, what is known is that when the Kurdish forces started to falter, Wheeler led the charge to regain control of the situation.

It's believed his final words were some variation of "On me!" as he rushed to engage ISIS terrorists. Amid the explosions, fire, gunfire and chaos, Wheeler did what had to be done in order to make sure the mission didn't fail.

He would ultimately be killed saving complete strangers in a foreign country because that's what his country needed him to do. The mission was successful, 70 innocent lives were saved and it's the same mission Delta Force operator Thomas Patrick Payne earned the Medal of Honor on.

Joshua Wheeler (Credit: United States Army/Public Domain)

Joshua Wheeler was the best of America.

At his core, Joshua Wheeler represented the best of America. He was a man who didn't seek fame or attention.

The Delta Force commando enlisted in the Army, served in the Rangers and then decided to attempt to join the most elite military unit on the planet.

That's exactly what he ended up doing, and he spent his adult life taking the fight to the enemy.

Wheeler earned the Silver Star, 11 Bronze Stars (four with V Device) and deployed a total of 12 times during his career.

I know several men who served with Joshua, and they all have nothing but the highest praise for him. He was beloved by his teammates, and his death was very tough for people who knew and loved him.

You can listen to comments from a pair of people who served with him below.

Brent Tucker, a former Delta Force operator and current host of the "Tier1 Podcast," shared with me a really touching story about Joshua and his small acts of kindness that had a huge impact.

Tucker stated the following:

"Josh was one of the first people to say hi to me when I showed up to squadron, he remembered my name and said hi to me every time I saw him. I tried to do the same when I was a senior guy because of him and because I knew what impact that had on me. He also did this thing that every year he made sure everyone got new high-quality boot socks. He had the logistics guy order them for the whole squadron. When he passed, realized he may be the only person that ever ordered something for everyone and not just his team or troop. Later when I went to Syria and got back to spending longer time outside the wire, I once again realized his selfless and thoughtful act as I had the best socks to take care of my feet and every soldier at every level knows how important that is. It’s a small thing that can turn into a big issue and Josh did the small things and the big things right. He was a true professional and warrior."

There's a lot of division in the country right now. There's a lot of hate, and it's in moments like these that we have to remember just how great we have it. We have the lives we do because men like Joshua Wheeler and his teammates are willing to lay it all on the line to keep us safe and kill those who seek to kill us.

All we can do to repay them is keep their memories alive.

On the 10-year anniversary of Joshua Wheeler's death, raise a glass in his honor and the memory of his heroic actions. The world should be grateful such an amazing man ever existed. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.