Mary Hawkins spent 13 months flying the wounded out of the Pacific Theater, becoming one of the few women to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
It's a stark change after the U.S. joined Israeli strikes on Iran in June and engaged in some of the most intense operations since WWII in the Red Sea.
The author of this op-ed argues the recent strikes on alleged drug boats create a precedent that gives an advantage to America's near-peer adversaries.
The U.S. military carried out three strikes Monday in the Eastern Pacific against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor.