Let us never forgive or forget what the Green Beret did to the men, women and children of Vietnam. They were America's most vicious and depraved. Read the history, if you have the stomach for it.
22
I'm sorry what part of Ms Kent's presence in Syria was legal under US law, Syrian law, or UN Security Council Mandate?
51
Why Chief Kent's sacrifice for us was not on prime TV? Instead of showing dirty reality show of our political life telecasters should give priority to this type of news.
Chief Kent rest in peace. Our prayers are with Her husband, son and daughter.
104
From the picture you paint of Chief Kent nothing held her back except some rules. Chief Kent's efforts helped clear the path to change those rules for future sailors. I bet there are hundreds of other stories about Chief Kent that if known would be as inspirational to those that follow her as the story written here.
50
What a beautiful, talented, courageous young woman.
But. Why is she beaming so radiantly while holding an M4?
Senior Chief Petty Officer Kent was a member of the intelligence gathering unit of a Special Ops team targeting specific insurgents.
The suicide bomber targeted her and her colleagues because the enemy knew who she was. Their evidence was better than hers evidently.
What was the endgame of this Special Ops team and others like it in Syria? Why was Ms. Kent even in Syria? To preempt terrorist threats? To preempt a Caliphate?
Was Benghazi not enough?
Why is Marie Colvin no longer with us?
Ms. Kent was well on her way to becoming a clinical psychologist, a West Point instructor, a university professor.
The Pentagon must bear responsibility. As do 43 and Vice. This Middle East quagmire escalated again with 43’s ill-advised decision to invade Iraq, based on the groundless charge that Iraq was harboring “weapons of mass destruction,” even though the administration knew Al-Qaeda was behind 9/11. In truth, it was a family feud: 43 was trying to vindicate 41.
Modernization will achieve, over the long haul, what military strikes cannot.
This is the lesson of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
46
I was honored to be present at the Memorial Celebration of The Life of CPO Shannon Kent today at The US Naval Academy. Her fellow sailors ,shipmates, superiors, co workers and friends, outlined her life of service to the country she so dearly loved. A True American Hero in every sense . She achieved so much in the 15 years of service, and was preparing to do more ,pursuing a doctoral Psychology program to help treat PTSD and other problems within the services. I am immensely proud of her achievements ,while terribly saddened by the sudden loss of her life. Thank You For Your Service Chief. Your Loving Uncle Vin
314
So sorry for the loss of your niece. And so grateful for her life and inspiring service.
Please know and relay to your other family members that all across the country we send comfort, healing and hope. And we will remember her and tell our children of her skilled and devoted service.
70
@Vincent Plover Your words brought tears to my eyes. As a loving uncle I know what a loss she is to you and know how proud you were of her. Give those poor little boys a hug from all of us.
52
Mr. Plover, I am sorry for your loss. Your niece was an amazing woman and the world is lessened by her death.
48
12 deployments, between her and her husband. This Vietnam veteran salutes them.,
65
She elicits our highest respect, which in light of her children's loss, appears totally meaningless.
30
When someone misuses the word “hero” think of Chief Kent, a real American Hero.
58
Thank you Shannon Kent. We are all safer because of you; thank you for your service.
28
I am perplexed. I keep reading words like “hero” and “heroic” here. I see something else, although I’m not at all sure just what it is that I’m seeing.
We’re talking about a mother of two toddlers who was engaged in combat in one of the world’s most volatile spots. She didn’t tell her husband—her children’s father---that she was having cancer surgery until after it was done. She wanted to study psychology, to be able to treat PTSD. I’d say there’s a lot more here than meets the eye.
I admire the reporter for not speculating, but come on, readers, think about what this soldier was struggling with. There’s a lot more going on here than heroics.
28
@GP Yes, there likely is. People are complicated and unsimple. Yet it's undeniable Shannon Kent put herself in harm's way in dangerous and dedicated service to her country, regardless the policy debate. The complications can be put aside and her sacrifice saluted. Not glorified, but honored.
Her children will bear the sacrifice, too. "They also serve." I know it well, and know that indeed war is a hell. May her service not be in vain in the prevention of more hell.
73
Mr. Oppel - good writing and good reporting. You allowed us to grasp the essence of Chief Shannon Kent. Thank you.
27
Inspiring story? It's an OUTRAGEOUS story. First that Shannon Kent was not accorded due respect in her profession while living, and second that she was as much a victim of the Navy's red tape as a Syrian bomber. Read the letter from the NY legislators linked in the article. If she "was fit to deploy to a war zone" she certainly was "fit to serve as a clinical psychologist." Now two boys don't have a mother, a husband and fellow veteran has lost his wife, and the United States is down one skilled and dedicated professional. Way to go, bureaucrats. RIP Shannon Kent.
74
I don't know if Shannon's husband will see this, but I wanted to share with him my condolences for his deep and profound loss. She sounds like a remarkable woman in every way, and we are all diminished by the loss of her.
36
In 2011, I attended a reunion of Navy SEALs in San Diego. During the reunion there was a presentation by Admiral Eric Olson, the retiring head of the US Special Operations Command and a SEAL for 37 years. He made the statement that it was not a question of whether there would ever be a female SEAL, but when.
Shannon Kent should have, and likely could have, been that woman. I hope the SEALs she worked with find an appropriate way to honor her.
34
While I certainly respect Chief Kent's skills and deployment, this tragedy underscores the great numbers of humans, not only women, on both sides, or three sides if you include the Kurds, in the battle in the Middle East. The place where she died reminded me of the story of other sites chosen where the picking was easy - the mess halls in the Iraqi desert where ice cream and I guess other American food was brought at tremendous cost and sacrifice for soldiers. Two little ones left with the terrible feeling they will never understand the reason behind their mother's death. Why should they? Why should we?
18
Amazing and courageous people serve us, and stories like this assure me that some of my tax dollars are well spent. Actually, not enough of them are spent on the right things, like compensating Cheif Kent and caring for her surviving family.
34
Mr Kent, my deepest condolences to you and your family. Your wife is an American hero. May she rest in peace.
From a female Army veteran from the Vietnam era.
53
"Chief Kent spoke a half-dozen Arabic dialects and four other languages. She was one of the first women to complete the rigorous course required for other troops to accompany Navy SEALs on raids."
That's great stuff, but that does not a hero make. Read the earlier NYT article about the lack of common sense exhibited by American units who hung-out at this restaurant day after day, without establishing proper security.
I grieve for her family, but getting blown-up doesn't make you a hero.
17
@Bill Actually, Bill, putting yourself on the front lines routinely doing a job that is extraordinarily dangerous, where you were amazingly effective at your job, and then getting blown up in the service for your country does make you a hero.
45
Her heroism can be seen in her dedication to her country, in her fight to survive cancer, in the long list of her outstanding achievements, in the bravery of the choices she made etc and so on.
The idea that her shining heroism is diminished by a suicide bomber is utterly ridiculous.
42
@Bill It's the old dilemma and Hobson's choice, in a sense, addressing conflicting motivations: There's operational security in a war zone, and there's also the objective of winning a peace, in part by being humble and human and friendly, winning hearts and minds by engaging in everyday social activity among the people you're trying to assist (I think assistance is our policy objective, within the Great Game and energy resource motivations at the heart of the Middle East/South Asia quagmires).
Intel tradecraft attempts to navigate the gray areas of these situations. It's understandable the operatives got complacent and careless in a liberated city, and there's argument that as high value targets if unmasked they had more vulnerability than civil affairs folks and should have had higher security protocols, but that's the risk in being on the edges with limited forces - the where-do-you-draw-the-line conundrum. As intel folks, Kent and at least one other casualty - a DIA civilian operative - and likely their Special Forces companion, too, were high-value targets that would have become known sooner or later. Risky business.
17
Mr. Kent, my sincerest, deepest and most gratitude-filled prayers to you, your children, and your wife. May others near to you hold you close for a long, long time. This will be the hardest mission of all.
Please accept the gratitude of a grateful nation, a humbled people, and a safer country for all that you and your wife's ultimate sacrifice provide. We owe a debt we cannot repay.
And, thank you for acknowledging what has taken a very, very long time to acknowledge: women need only be given the opportunity to take the same test men take to demonstrate that a superior, disciplined, and determined few are also capable of this important work.
Your wife was a stellar, top-of-her-class veteran who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our and other nations' freedom.
Godspeed. Know you are prayed for and about for a long time to come.
33
No need to talk policy or history here. Chief Kent epitomizes a professional soldier. Period. RIP, Chief, thank you for your commitment to service, and peace and support to Mr. Kent (rank not given) and your children. And God bless all of us, particularly those who go willingly into harm's way, in many walks of life.
45
I feel nothing but sadness while reading this American military tragedy.
We take these heroic young people, train them extensively, and then send them out into incredible danger and death.
The military culture that permeates the lives of young aspiring Americans has become a wasteland of lost lives.
Is this the best that we Americans can do for the youth of our country?
29
Rest In Peace Shannon Kent. Thank you for your personal sacrifices and service.
23
Shannon Kent's tragic death and the circumstances around the metrics of the meeting and her presence in Syria remain a question.
That said, most people do not know over 80 women have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since our involvement. I recall in mid-2005 (near Balad), 9 Marine women were killed by a VBIED while enroute to a checkpoint to provide search activities with regard to Iraqi women. In short, to conform to local cultural realities, we lost 9 fine American Marines.
The stories of dedication and bravery with regard to our female counterparts is endless. Although, I and most in the combat arms MOS's do not support direct combat roles for women, nonetheless, women in today's counterinsurgency roles play a major part in today's mission.
We shall never forget Shannon Kent and others who have paid the ultimate price for support US operations worldwide.
12
As many have said here, Shannon Kent was a remarkable person and member of our armed services. We would all do well to remember the many young people like her, whose names we will never know, serving in our military in dangerous situations and under harsh conditions. I wish more Americans, including the civilians at the top of our government who send them to war, better appreciated the extraordinary personal sacrifices that they and their families make, in this case the ultimate sacrifice. My deepest sympathy to her husband, children, and her other family and friends.
60
What an inspiring woman and story. I'm very humbled by her dedication to helping others.
20
Thank you Senior Chief Kent for your sacrifice and service. Grace and love to her family for their and our loss. Rest In Peace.
53
Thank you for an inspiring article about a wonderful woman. Very sad that she was taken too soon.
It was great that she and others were recognized for their ability only when there was nobody else, but hopefully she has helped break away at some barriers. And, seriously, CPOs can serve post-cancer but not officers?
29
Wow, what a great person. I sometimes wonder what we do to deserve the quality of people who serve in our military. The saying "the best and the brightest" seems particularly applicable for many of our military members.
48
And 10 to 1 her thyroid cancer was a result of exposure to toxins during her service.
31
More likely Chernobyl or Fukushima.
1
Thank you for your service, Shannon Kent, and rest in peace. You have our full and well-earned gratitude.
29
What a gal!! May she rest in splendid peace and may her family receive every help available.
17
Great story about an inspiring woman. What a shame she might be alive if bureaucratic rules hadn't kept her from switching to a more family-safe track after all those years in combat zones.
24
When I served 45 years ago as a WAC in the Army Security Agency as a linguist, my job never once put me in physical danger. It wasn’t the way back then. This woman is my hero, may she Rest In Peace.
54
This gal was awesome! She seemed to have just the right combination of personality, intelligence and drive. I admire her. What a great role model for young women.
26
Thank you Shannon Kent. Your life is truly inspiring.
23
Oh, wow. What an impressive young woman. All that she accomplished during her short life is astonishing. I am so sorry for her husband and children. She was a remarkable woman.
32
Thanks for this article.
Thanks for your service Shannon.
Nothing more one can say.
15
A woman of brilliance, talent, and the will to put those to use for us all.
It can impart no honor to comment that she died in vain cause we shouldn't have been there. No one else could have done her job. Her loss has made the world poorer for her passing. Including the Syrians and everywhere else she served. God bless those babies who will know her only through others.
11
She was a soldier who did her job well. An expendable professional. Another will take her place, perhaps not as good, perhaps better, her memory will fade, and the wars will grind on, others will die.
This is what constant, never ending war is.
21
How many women have died fighting wars for America. Now, how many men have died fighting wars for America. The number's don't come close. Cut this nonsense out. You want equality, make sure the number of women as there are men fighting in wars. Have women take the same dangerous jobs as men.
6
I should have started my statement by saying "I'm am deeply grateful for this woman and other women serving in our military." Especially those that have given their lives for our freedom. With that said, this article and those like it, are misleading. Its men that make the ultimate sacrifice in war and other dangerous jobs.
Examples like Chief Kent setting the stage for revolutionary changes in the society that bodes well in the future. Finally, we are tapping into the brain power of half of the population that was left behind. Women should not depend on man’s income if they want equality.
5
may God rest her soul.
4
Sad. But a poster for five deviations plus, but not much more.
4
What a shame her two children will not really know their mother first hand and what a remarkable woman she was. But we all understand her strength and sacrifice...
I deeply appreciate what Shannon Kent gave to my/our country...and for that matter all of the so many others who have put their country first.
Thank you, Shannon and family.
Thank you all
12
Are the US military in Syria legally? Is there an achievable objective? How many $millions are US taxpayers spending per single ISIS or other jihadist fighter killed? To what extent is the US media glossing over or outright ignoring US military attacks on civilian population centers conducted either deliberately or in error? What are the short term, medium and long term impacts of our military action in these far flung territories? Is the US public adequately informed regarding blowback, or unintended consequences of our military engagement in the Middle East? Is there adequate reporting of consequences for journalists who go to great lengths to provide accurate reporting on the ground, and then face reprisals entering or leaving US mainland? Is it more patriotic for the US media to report on our military dispassionately, or to accede to being embedded or engage in boosterism? Whose agenda is served by such reporting? How kindly would Americans react to a foreign military active on our territory pursuing narrow strategic goals, and the collateral damage that entails? To what extent are Americans aware of the awful financial price and lost opportunities of our insane military budget, well in excess of what even the Pentagon wants, and bloated terribly by our near constant interventions since 9/11?
10
@Xoxarle This is not the place to argue policy. The article is about a member of our armed forces who died in the line of duty. Save it for another piece.
12
I am in awe of this woman's skills and accomplishments. She is a wonderful example of how women can rise to the top of any profession, skill or political position. I hope to tell my granddaughter about her some day.
8
@GWC Tell your granddaughter that Shannon died in support of the imperialist designs of the United States government and that her intelligence and energy were devoted to determining which 'bad guys' to have killed, a dubious accomplishment. Her enemies in Syria surely knew her as a 'warrior' but also as a 'bad guy'. Is the U.S. military suffering a recruitment drop? One hopes that young American women and men are not inspired by this sort of tribute. The New York Times might do well to report on the Syrian women dying there every day.
13
@Ray Man
You fail to distinguish between the soldier and the government that hired her. We honor the soldier because they are the key part of the system that keeps us free. Learn to attack the government and the military industrial complex that fails to honor its soldiers by only asking them to do the things that keep us free, rather than do things that makes someone serious piles of money or pushes their vision of world domination for their narrow ideological position.
12
NYT, thank you for this heartfelt tribute to such a smart, hardworking, patriotic, intelligent, wonderful accomplished woman. May her exemplary life be discussed and talked about many times over and not forgotten. She is a hero for women, for our country. And may her legacy live on.
9
Thank you for this story. Chief Kent is a hero and an inspiration. RIP
5
Thank you for sharing this great story of Shannon’s life. What tragic end to a young woman clearly focused on doing a very hard job. Our heart goes out to her family and comrades esp. her husband and kids who sacrificed too much.
20
Thank you for this tribute to Chief Kent. She clearly was an exceptional person and her loss is tragic.
48
She was obviously the high value target of this bombing. She’s a stellar example of a true American Patriot. Sadly her Commander in Chief has NO clue of the selfless sacrifices our military personnel make everyday around world for this nation.
82
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Sorry for your loss.
13
My deep sympathy and gratitude to her family, friends, and teammates.
Trump has her blood on his hands and on his soul (if he has one). For it is highly likely that his crazy shenanigan plan to haplessly withdraw from Syria and hand it over to our nation's and our allies' foes while idiotically claiming that ISIS was defeated lead to the bombing that caused her death.
Courage, honor, intelligence, and ethical service are not gendered qualities, though they do seem to be missing from the Trump genome.
27
A very sad loss of an outstanding American citizen.
And so tragically unnecessary. What are we doing in Syria anyway?? Yes, we bear a great deal of responsibility for the rise of ISIS there, but our military presence there is doing nothing but creating more bloodshed. We should get our brave troops out before more of them are killed.
10
God bless the Kent family. My condolences
17
a real credit to our military. RIP.
12
This is one time when ‘amazing’ and ‘OMG’ are appropriate.
I’m sure there are other incredible women who can go toe to toe with the best men but are never quite accepted in the testosterone-driven world of special forces.
The only word for that is stupidity.
Perhaps the influx of women in congress will make necessary changes to all of this.
In any event, my heart goes out to her husband, children and family for their terrible loss.
151
@Michele Farley
A good start would be to make women eligible for registration in the Selective Service System - funny how that has escaped the current generation of female politicians.
6
Great American....such a loss to her family and our country.
Chief Petty Officer Kent had 5 combat deployments to the Mid-East, and her husband had 7 to Iraq.....some of which were while raising a young family for the last few years. The sacrifices of our warriors deserves all of our gratitude....but look at what our series of conflicts in the Middle East has done to our military, and more important to the heroes who serve....just wow.
Heartfelt condolences from a vet....
32
What an amazing woman. And I'm sure she would have made a wonderful psychologist. RIP.
25
NYT, thank you for this heartfelt memorial profile of Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent.
It would be an honor if the NYT would write a short profile of every enlisted member lost so that we can all become more aware of who they were and their contributions made.
So that the losses suffered out of our sight are not out of our minds and hearts.
Thank you. LWI
47
Thank you, Shannon Kent. I am in your debt and your family's.
8
Thank you Chief Kent for your dedication, loyalty, and service for this country. I didn’t know women like yourself exist. Just wow!
Thinking of your family especially the little ones.
R.I.P.
11
Your astonishment that women like Kent exist speaks volumes about why such profiles, particularly of women heroes, are so important and valuable and inspiring.
7
Such a capable and talented woman whose life has been wasted by American fantasies of exceptionalism and regime change. What a waste.
12
Shannon is an amazing mother, wife and soldier..she was getting close to information when she and her comrades were set up and murdered in a cafe..
7
Thank you for your service, Mr. & Mrs. Kent. fair winds
10
Somebody ought to read this article aloud to those billionaires and traitors in the White House and Congress and make sure they are listening. This was an American patriot.
39
Who needs fictional superheroes?
29
What a wonderful young woman. What a loss.
11
Why is the name on her uniform different?
8
@Chase
The picture is from 2007; the article clearly states she was married in 2014. Some women change their names with that event.
3
@Chase her maiden name or she borrowed the body armor from
Someone else. When they first fielded that type of body armor, the smaller sizes where sometimes hard to come
By and forced female’s to share. Or they just have fake name tags due to the nature of the job ...
1
@Chase
Probably because the military does not want to reveal their true family name to spies in the local population. That could potentially lead to retribution against their family in the U.S.
2
They should have posthumously promoted her to the rank of Captain. She deserved more.
14
So...LET WOMEN IN. If we can die for our country surely we are worthy of job promotions!
11
My deepest condolences to her family. She will be very much missed, but will certainly live on as a shining example to all she came in contact with.
8
100% American Hero.
Godspeed to you and comfort & love to your friends and family.
Thank you.
11
Thank you sharing this story. There are so many comparisons that could be made to what some people think service and bravery mean, that fall so short of how Kent lived her life. It was best to write it as you did and let the facts and tragic waste speak for themselves.
9
Thank you for a terrific and also heartbreaking story
I hope this brave young woman’s kids grow up to realize that she is and will always be an American hero
8
Thank you, Shannon Kent, for your Service.
Our Nation needs a strong and capable Military Force, and excellent people to work in it, and to lead it, as well. Too often, Washington DC has picked the wrong War, for the wrong reasons, and yet our Service Men and Women are THERE, regardless, and Honoring their Duty. And (!!) it's darn sure time that women were honored in our Military - equally - with men.
After so many years of 100% dedication, even with the Military's regulations, you got a raw deal.
You will not be forgotten. May your passing be an inspiration to all of us who love our Nation.
10
my complete condolences to her family and my utmost respect for the job she was doing.
but if we are to overcome sexism and think of women as equals then this highlighted article and other articles which are meant to evoke sympathy and show her bravery and courage as more than anyone else's does her and her bravery and courage a disservice
1
I disagree with your last point. As a woman in the contemporary military and as one of very few women among the ultra-masculine SEAL teams, she likely
needed and and exercised an additional level of courage and competence in order to prove herself to them, to her mostly-male superiors and to the middle-Eastern men she encountered who may tend to believe a woman is lesser than and ought submit to a man.
7
I mean no disrespect so please do not take any as my words are insufficient due to the grief I feel but Shannon Kent has the most amazing smile I have ever seen. I can only take from that that she is an incredible person and was an extraordinary mother. What a tragic loss.
Kent Family, I would like to say I share your loss and feel your pain but I do not know Shannon (excuse the first name familiarity) but I feel one degree of separation from what you are feeling. I apologies for not being able to finish what I want to say but I now have dirt in both eyes and can't see to type. Your whole nation shall remember and honour her on your Remembrance Day. I shall do the same here every 25th of April.
8
By all accounts seems like an outstanding individual. No surprise. I met many like her since my first year at West Point. Women have been an indispensable part of the military for a very long time regardless of what they were allowed to do or not do. But the overriding emotion for me is one of despair. Another human soul wasted in our endless war making to satisfy the insatiable appetite of our massive military industrial complex. There is no glory here, only waste. The vast majority of our citizenry could not even find Syria on the map and we are being led by a draft dodging President and an oligarchy that could care less about the sacrifices of an individual like Shannon Kent. I wish her family peace, tranquility and hopefully some sort of happiness, all conditions seemingly in short supply nowadays.
206
@Jeffrey Tierney Even higher up the food chain than the MIC is the oligarchy you cite, and above that a power-dominance and supremacist culture endemic around the world. Humans haven't transcended primitive tribal survival impulses much, only occasionally reaching some relative heights of democracy, ethics and civility. Occasionally.
We seem the last 40 years to be steadily slipping from one such period of relative enlightenment. Relative, for while the post-WWII period had some flowering of higher aspirations it also had a Cold War hanging over us and the additional terrors of neo-imperialism and violence-employing economic competition. It wasn't so great for a lot of cultures other than Western democracies. Which seem now to be going out of fashion. Silly people, killing the golden goose.
(No direct ref/no dis to Chief Kent, but I'm reminded through this particular discourse of Marine Gen. Smedley Butler, who after several tours of suppressive actions in places like Nicaragua and early 20th Century China, said he realized, "We Marines were gangsters for capitalism." We do a great disservice to the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform when we exploit and abuse their service for nefarious, power-mongering and money-grubbing purposes.
Butler also got wind of a rightist corporate coup conspiracy against FDR, that "traitor to his class," which conspiracy was whitewashed in Congress. We do have coups in the US, just more subtle. We've had six or so the last 60 years.)
8
Chief Kent’s accomplishments and heroism are almost beyond belief. What an incredibly inspiring woman, and what a devastating loss.
8
Thanks to Ms. Kent. We owe her everything!
3
Two members of the military were killed along with one civilian working for NSA and one contractor.
It would be interesting to know the number of contractors and government civilians serving the United States in such roles, both in the Mideast and in Afghanistan. I am aware of civilian pilots on contract making $1,000 a day while flying missions under civilian administrative control in Afghanistan.
How many more worldwide and fulfilling what roles? At what expense? And why civilians instead of military? What's the determining factor, WaPo?
7
The first American casualty (or almost first, depending on who you listen to) was Spec 4 James Davis. Specialist Davis was with the Army Security Agency (ASA) which was an arm of the NSA and was KIA on Dec. 22, 1961 in a VC ambush. He was responsible for locating VC radio transmitters.
While the odds of being KIA or WIA are higher for combat arms MOSs, troops are in general subject to hostile fire while serving in "combat zones".
Chief Kent was filling a roll in a mission as thousands of soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors had done before.
RIP Chief Kent.
1
Thank you for sharing this amazing woman’s story. God bless her husband and children. Our world is better because of her.
4
When #ManFlu is a real thing, and for centuries, women have been returning to work right after giving birth, it was long last time to officially open up combat jobs to women. I’m so proud of her and every other woman’s accomplishment in the military.
5
So glad to see that the NYT recognized Chief Shannon Kent for her heroism and hard work and shared her life story. What an accomplished young woman, mother and officer. This life is worthy of a fine film.
12
Our armed forces succeed so well because they recruit the best but it is so heart breaking when the best is cut down and denied her future. I hope this country improves how it cares for these exemplary soldiers and their families.
6
When will we again have a Commander in Chief who can understand the commitment and sacrifice that our finest give to the preservation of freedom?
9
Its difficult to put a pretty face on the policy of perpetual war. The US bombed 9 countries last year, has bases in 70 countries and troops in 150. While this may intimidate in the short term to bring the countries into line with US interests, it is not a wining long term strategy.
From a paper by AIDDATA "China has recently become a major financier of economic infrastructure in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe..."
It is not difficult to tell which approach has the moral high grown and is more likely to have a lasting influence.
8
@Denis: When the US disengages anywhere in the world there will be those detractors claiming we are abdicating our responsibilities.
But China is perhaps gaining the high ground by having a abundant supply of cheap labor leading to wealth for the state and some billionaires . So there's no sense in even trying to compete on that front.
" . . . for many years women have been doing military jobs as dangerous, secretive and specialized as anything men do."
This is no longer news. I recall people comparing men and women in this way in the 70's and 80's.
In fact, and to be honest, making statements like this only serve to reinforce an older, entrenched belief that maybe there IS a difference between men and womens capabilities. Its like you are dragging us back into an old argument that has already been won.
Now *this* is a warrior. Rest in Peace
6
Where does such courage, wisdom, grace come from? I will keep your family wrapped in my prayers for my own.
3
All I can say is THANK YOU for your service and God Bless You as you rest in peace.
3
The final paragraphs of the story are an indictment of the ossified military that failed to recognize the full talents of this woman who is more of a patriot than the callous deskbound officers who judged her can ever hope to be. She is a genuine hero in her dedication and sacrifice, a status far beyond rank and medals.
6
This amazing woman's story could easily be made into a film.
2
God bless Chief Shannon Kent and condolences and comfort to your family.
3
A true hero, my condolences to her family and friends, I know that till the day I pass, I will be unable to repay those living and dead.
3
Amazing. People like this are what makes this country great.
3
Dear Richard Oppel Jr., I am so glad you wrote this article about this amazing person. I am humbled by her dedication and sacrifice. I would like to suggest mentioning what her last name was before marriage. It would appear from the photo to be Smith. Sometimes it’s hard to track women through their careers because they often change their names upon marriage. Mentioning and acknowledging their family name at birth helps with continuity. Perhaps her family asked to not include her birth name, in which case you may ignore my suggestion!
3
How can this Country ever repay such devotion to duty?
3
"that for many years women have been doing military jobs as dangerous, secretive and specialized as anything men do"
I had no idea. Please provide us with the death rates, by gender. That would be a great service to all who have been so misinformed all these years.
RIP Shannon.
3
@bx
No 'misinformation' - since 2001
98% of combat deaths are male - as it has always been.
Except if you go back to WWI to present then it becomes 99.99%
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/g/guide-usmilitary-casualty-statistics.html
2
My deepest condolences.
P.F.C. Regular Army. '69-'71. S.E. Asia.
5
What an amazing woman! A true national hero! We owe you plenty for your sacrifice.
Her title: National Hero
Her occupation: Warrior
Her name: Shannon Kent
5
I am so very sorry for your tragic loss. She sounds like she was a lovely person
2
I am so distraught at the thought of her family, particularly her sons, and what they must be going through, not to mention the effect this loss will have on their lives forever. She sounds like an amazing human being. I was even more saddened when I got to the end of the article and found out that the only reason she was even on this deployment was because of the Navy’s rule preventing her from beginning officer training - but allowing her on a combat deployment. Make that saddened and angry. I don’t understand the logic behind this rule. Why does having a recent cancer diagnosis bar you from officer training but allow you to enter a combat zone? It won’t bring her back or erase the pain of her loss but I wish the Navy would recognize the role their bureaucratic rule played in her being on that deployment.
7
I would consider myself averse to violence, cautious if not skeptical towards most applications of US military force, and in many ways almost a stereotypical liberal. And I will flatly call this person a hero.
I have a 9 year old daughter, and I hope against hope she will never know violence or combat. But I will show her this soldiers (seaman’s?) picture, and I will tell her story.
4
R.I.P. , Chief. You put yourself in harm's way more times than any sailor could have been expected to. Your family, your Navy, and your country will miss you.
2
Amazing women...tragic loss...prayers for family
4
thank you. a remarkable woman.
2
You paid the ultimate price for serving our country. "Thank you" seems so inadequate. But thank you, thank you.
2
The tragedy of this tragedy is that she died for nothing. Nothing good, nothing, perhaps excepting the vengeance operations that finally killed bin Ladin, has been accomplished by our meddling in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Our hard-liners now say that to exit would risk losing all we have accomplished. And what, just what, is that, pray tell? Nothing.
I honor Ms Kent for her valor, and also for her skills and evident hard work. I loathe the people in our government who, since Bush I, sent her on such dangerous and useless missions. I hope with all my heart that this country finally wakes up and winds up the pointless double tragedies such as this one.
9
@joel bergsman
If you honor her, don’t say she died for nothing.
1
An inspiring - and hearting breaking - narrative. What a contribution - what a loss!
3
Like the loss of every single American soldier in Vietnam (to say nothing of the million plus Vietnamese civilians); the loss of every single American soldier in Bush-Cheney's Iraq War 2; and the loss of every single American soldier in Obama-Biden-Clinton's Syria adventurism, the sad and tragic loss of Ms. Kent was an unnecessary loss in an elective war against a country that never attacked US soil. Congress has still not had the courage to declare war against Syria, because members definitely do not want to have to hear from constituents on this matter. Millions of Americans worked so hard to elect Democrats in 2006 to retake Congress and to elect a Democrat to the presidency in 2008, in what turned out to be the false belief that they would take on the vast abuses and overreach of the military-industrial complex and national security state. That there would be some accountability for the Bush-Cheney neo-con lies. Instead, Obama betrayed everything he ran on and doubled-down on the intervention-first, regime change nonsense in Libya and via CIA and similar gun running to CIA and special forces allied "rebels" in Syria. If the US national interest in Syria is so great as to justify Ms. Kent's death, and is not just about feeding more dollars to Lockheed; Raytheon; Northrop-Grumman; Erik Prince; Halliburton, etc., let Congress finally do its job for once and declare war and institute a draft, with zero exemptions for the children of members of Congress.
5
I wish stories like this got as many comments as the political circus. This is a true shero who represents everything we’d like to believe our country stands for. Wish people such as she didn’t didn’t have to die a tragic death in order to be considered worthy of note.
3
Women have always participated in wars. Usually, they do not get the recognition they deserve.
To the family, and to the parents of Chief Kent I have this to say. Most of us are US citizens simply because we are born here. We do not have to earn it. If anyone has the right to claim the title Citizen of the United States of America, it is Chief Kent. I have no words to describe the feeling of desolation and loss at this news, please accept my clumsy attempts to offer my condolences. And thank you.
And to CTC Kent I have this to say:
Welcome home, sailor. Rest easy, we have the watch.
- former naval person
5
It seems logical to conclude that Shannon Kent and the three other Americans who died January 16 were the victims of a "loose lips" policy that now seems to pervade informed discussion of national security matters. (See today's article in the NYT on the Kashoggi killing and the rather casual references to intercepted phone conversations.)
My guess is that the Islamic State knew well in advance the day and time that Shannon and the other Americans would be at that particular restaurant. The Russians probably intercepted some cell phone talk amongst those who were planning to attend the meeting, and passed the information on to the Islamic State. Sloppy. Our folks in the field need to review their comsec (communications security) and be a lot less cavalier about chatting on an open line.
As wonderful as this write up is, and as heroic and multi-talented Shannon was, I am sure that her two children would love to have their mom back.
@Frank J Haydn: "The Russians probably intercepted some cell phone talk amongst those who were planning to attend the meeting, and passed the information on to the Islamic State."
Those pesky Russians seem to have their hands in all that is evil, just like in Cold War V1.0.
"Sloppy. Our folks in the field need to review their comsec (communications security) and be a lot less cavalier about chatting on an open line."
You made a guess. That's all but you jumped to remediation of something you guessed at. It's more likely it was HUMINT that led to the compromise and not ELINT.
1
Shannon Kent showed that a woman could do any military job and do it extremely well.
Her death is a loss for her family and for our entire nation. We can always use more people like her.
3
An absolute shame, such a loss. And unnecessary. It is scandalous that the Navy, too often for political reasons peculiar to top brass rivalries in the Pentagon rings, insists on being “in on the action” by sending sailors to land wars like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Such juvenile foolishness wastes lives and must stop. The Army exists to fight our grinding, endless land wars for us. Not the Navy. Inexcusable.
1
@Beantownah:"An absolute shame, such a loss. And unnecessary. "
"Such juvenile foolishness wastes lives and must stop. The Army exists to fight our grinding, endless land wars for us. Not the Navy. "
There are groups within each branch of the military that server specific purposes that sometimes appears out of character for that branch of service.
Other than stereotypes, why do you think the Army should have been used instead of the Navy personnel?
Are you saying if the Army participated they wouldn't have suffered this sort of loss? Would the loss of Army personnel qualified as a "necessary" loss?
1
But was she paid at the same rate as men doing the same job?
1
Being a Vietnam era veteran, Shannon is the truest American Hero. When reviewing her NYT review of her career, she could have opted for a very safe job within the navy. Our Navy has it's top cypto centers in Hawaii which started in WWII and was the center which broke the Japanese code and helped the US Navy break the back of the Japanese Navy during the battle of Midway. After Midway the Japanese never mounted another major attack.
1
@Butch Burton: Spec 4 James Davis who was killed in Vietnam in 1961, was a member of the Army Security Agency (ASA) which was the NSA's branch in the Army.
Shannon Kent sounds like an incredible individual who was doing an important job and risking her life in a way most Americans would never consider. My heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.
I remain troubled by the thought that, after 911, the ultimate sacrifices of our soldiers may have been diminished by the small men of the Bush junior administration who sent them to Iraq on false pretenses, opening that can of worms. And, even worse, that they now serve the morally bankrupt, uninformed, and incompetent president currently occupying the White House.
103
@Michael Tyndall, well said, although it should also be acknowledged that in spite of all the soaring rhetoric of the 2008 campaign, President Obama proceeded to continue the Bush-Cheney wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq (with some troop variations) his entire 8 years, ending his presidency with the shameful distinction of longest wartime president in US history. And expanded the neo-con, intervention-first, regime change nonsense to Syria itself (without a declaration of war from Congress), and thus arguably bears as much responsibility for the loss of Ms. Kent's life as the current occupant of the White House. Nobel Committee may want their peace prize back.
There has not been a president who truly served in the armed forces since George Bush, Sr. in the early 1990's.
11
As a retired civilian SIGINT officer with 10+ years of service in the Middle East, I am heartbroken by the loss of this American hero.
23
As an Army parent, I keenly feel the loss of every service member and extend my sympathies to all her family. This was an extraordinary woman, sailor, and American.
23
My heart goes out to the family of this impressionable service member. What a beautiful individual - inside and out.
I (a female) joined the Navy at 32 years of age. I quickly learned team work and how females can do the same jobs as males in our military. My commanding officer and other chain of command members were all females but in a predominately male environment.
Shannon Kent is a shining example of our service members that serve our country well.
Thanks for a great story and especially for our military members.
I love to read about other service members that have served our country and this one was extremely touching.
28
@OpieTaylor I STRONGLY agree with you. I joined at age 29. My CO's and chief were all male but I dealt with it and got my honorable discharge after 9 years. Both of my elderly parents were invalids and when I got to EAOS I knew I HAD to take care of them. I worked with NATO in Italy and was in security. That's all I'm going to say.
My heart goes out to CTCS Kent's family. What a terrible loss to them and this country. Fair winds and following seas. I thank her for making the ultimate sacrifice.
7
Thank you for sharing this incredible life story of commitment and dedication. May she rest in peace.
56
Thank you for sharing this story with us. Chief Kent was a remarkable human being, an accomplished linguist, a patriot, and a warrior. She was also a daughter, wife, and mother. And she sacrificed her life in service to this country. I am very grateful that Chief Kent and others like her are willing to serve our nation.
Her death is heartbreaking. She was so young and leaves behind a young family. I wish them peace and thank them.
career
144
What an inspiring story that, unfortunately, ended so tragically.
Best wishes to her friends and family.
29
God bless this officer and her family.
Thank you for an inspiring obituary.
I am most impressed of her knowledge of middle eastern dialects.
An indeed a great loss to America - and as the preliminary investigation is showing - a loss attributed to carless planning of this mission.
40
I am printing this tribute out to read when I need to be inspired.
Sadly, her heroics were unknown until she could not hear them.
Gratitude - thankfulness - healing for her young family and husband - peace comes later.
64
We should honor Chief Petty Officer Kent's relentless service to her country -- she paid the ultimate price. We should pray for her family that they find some comfort in the memory of her life. We should remind all this is what a true Patriot looks like. Its actions and deeds that define a patriot, not speeches and tweets.
64
@MoneyRules What hurts most is that her job had nothing to do with serving her country. She was duped as a tool of the military industrial profit machine. Is that not clear by now? Can Chief Kent not even receive the honor of truth at this time? What is wrong with Americans who think that any war they force their kids to pay for must be in service to their country? She died for corporate profiteers. Where is the outrage over this waste of a wonderful human being at the hands of her corrupt,
corporate-ruled government?
3
Thank you for letting us know about a soldier with such courage and determination. It sounds like the armed forces made use of someone with an unusual set of skills. I can't help but wonder: since she did the work of a member of Special Forces, was she compensated similarly? Or do we unfortunately have another case of a woman doing a man's work, not being recognized for it by superiors, and not being paid the same? Kudos to her husband for honoring her and others her serve by making it easier for people with talent and skill to be promoted in the military under many of the same criteria that would be used in the civilian world.
54
@Grad student - male or female compensation is by grade e.g. E-6 or O-3 pay is the same for either gender
Promotions come with time in service and/or testing from my experience.
8
Special Forces, commonly known of as Green Berets, are a specific set of troops in the United States Army. Special Operations is a general term that includes many different service members from all of the branches. This often gets confused by the general public and sometimes by the media.
This amazing woman was a Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Navy who would have enlisted in either the Military Intelligence or Signals Intelligence fields and also attended the Defense Language Institute and worked her way up. It should be instructive to every American who thinks of enlisted military personnel as people who go in because they have nowhere else to go, because the men and women who serve in our military are our nation’s finest.
Memorial Day was set aside to honor not veterans, but those who died for our nation. Remember her and all the rest when Memorial Day comes.
9
@Grad student:"I can't help but wonder: since she did the work of a member of Special Forces, was she compensated similarly? "
She was on an operation with a SEAL team not Special Forces.
Being a Chief Petty Officer (a pay grade of E-7, the maximum enlisted rank is E-9) with a foreign language skill she probably earned just as much if not more than most of the SEAL team members.
If you took some time to research the topic you are talking about, you might not have to wonder too much.
2
As an American and a veteran I am humbled by this human being's talent and heart, grateful for their service and devastated by their ultimate sacrifice.
Gender should not be a consideration for anyone but her husband who lost a wife and her children who lost a mother.
All we should see is a heroic patriot whose story we should share with our children.
My deepest sympathy to Mr. Kent and his family.
255
My sincere condolences to Chief Kent and her family. She served with valor, honor, and distinction. Women serving in combat roles is no big deal, for most militaries except the United States. Glad to see this is finally changing. It's taken WAY too long...
39
I am sorry that Chief Kent gave her life in the service of our country, but glad that this Times piece exposes what the many working in national security roles already know: woman have been, are, and will be essential to our ability as a nation to overcome our adversaries’ plans. They don’t get the spotlight often enough, in my opinion, because our system conditions them not to seek it. She sounds like a terrific human and a fierce warrior. We should never forget her sacrifice.
213
In awe of her service and sacrifice, which can never, ever be repaid or made right.
God bless her, Mr. Kent and all of her family.
102
Heartbreaking. She was a tremendous woman, soldier and heroine.
However: when the HECK are we getting OUT OF this appalling quicksand and failed 16 year war??? the grave yard of empires, they were not kidding.
My deepest condolences to her family.
83
I’m so grateful for your wife’s work, commitment and valor. Your work on behalf of all of us Americans is also so immensely valuable.
I cried reading this story about your family. I shouldn’t relate this but I only do to let all of you know how much your work on our behalf moves me.
I will pray for your and your children. Hopefully, you will recover and go on to live happy lives and celebrate this incredible woman, wife, mother and more in your lives and DNA.
57
Kind of speechless reading this. Incredible loss for what was clearly a very impressive person. Thank you for reporting on Chief Kent.
318
Wonderful tribute. Her family and our country have lost a warrior and patriot.
77
So sad that we lost such a brilliant, hard working, and brave American. I am saddened for the two little boys who now have no Mom, their lives forever changed. My heart goes out to her family in their grief.
188
Shannon Kent, what an inspiration. Joe Kent, your words are a great tribute. #she2030
70
Thank you so much for profiling the remarkable Shannon Kent. So many superlatives sputter to the surface to describe who she was and what she accomplished. None of them seem adequate. The same can be said for the sorrowful expressions on the loss of such a talent in all of her roles she filled in her life.
91
This news brings tears to my eyes. I am partly reacting to what my mother would have thought about this sad loss.
My mother was a Gunnery Instructor in the US Navy during World War II. She was one of the first women given the opportunity to excel in the military. She would have been so very proud to see how far women have come.
Tonight we will raise a glass to Shannon Kent. Rest good soldier.
307
@m.carter
She's a US Navy Chief Petty Officer - not a soldier. A soldier belongs to the Army. Rest good sailor would be the proper term.
5
Thank you for telling us about this amazing woman. We are so much poorer without her.
154
This is a sad story that reflecting the war is cruel and gender blind. May be we have watched too many war movies glorified the excitement and successful ending. It makes young men and women wanting to be warriors to enjoy the ride. But most war movies fail to tell the severe consequences in reality.
However, Chief Kent is also a rarity. With two young kids, she should stay behind to raise them. Instead she were in the front line. Military in my thinking should have the flexibility to pull her out of combat areas even if she doesn't want to.
15
@Usok. So By your reasoning we should have kept a woman and mother home and in place of her sent a man who may also have been a father?
Tragic as it is those of us who served all know the risk we accepted when we chose to join the military. The military has come a long way in opening the doors for women to serve as equals to men.
Your suggestion would basically undo the progress that took a generation to achieve.
Thank you and bless you for your service and sacrifice Chief Kent.
4
@Usok What about fathers with two young kids?
5
@Usok:"May be we have watched too many war movies glorified the excitement and successful ending. "
Give it a rest Usok.
We have the story of someone serving selflessly and you take the opportunity to intimate her service was driven by war movies.
Shame.
3
Thank you NYT for this story about a brave and dedicated woman. She gave everything to her assignment, unfortunately also her life. To her husband...I am so sorry for you and your children's lost. No one deserves to go through the heartbreak you must feel.
103
What a tragic loss of such a dedicated and wonderful person. My deep condolence to her family.
34
Sounds like her death was a great loss to both her family and the nation. She and the other women (and men) who put themselves in harms way to do such important work are a true inspiration. Glad to hear at least a bit of her story!
23
Others are alive because you did your job and did it well. To paraphrase that oft-quoted line from the movie “The Bridges At Toko-Ri”:
“Where do we get such women?”
No better epitaph. Travel well.
Retired Marine
49
Speechless. What an incredible soldier.
62
What an amazing woman and story
31
What an accomplished person. She was clearly special!
24
Fair Winds and Following Seas. They don't come any better then Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent.... a real life Superwoman.
66
Negative. Not the same. Don’t water us down with your politics.
12
I think you do her no tribute by this turning this into yet ANOTHER men vs. women thing. She was not "in all but name" in Special Operations, and she was certainly not a SEAL or in any way their equivalent.
Why can't you just describe the amazing work and career she had without trying to inflate her? All you do is wind up diminishing her, and that's really not right.
14
The article never came close to saying she was a SEAL.
She went along on special operations. She brought great skill and and bravery to her job. She served her country with distinction.
6
@Mike I think the article was saying that people doing this work undergo training at a high level so that they can work with SEALs and other Special operations soldiers in the field.
7
@Mike Really? I don't think this tribute was an "inflation" of "her." I've read many tributes in this newspaper and others that, in your estimation "inflate" the achievements of members of our armed forces, that happen to be and are mostly male, who are equally heroic and self sacrificing. In this case, I think it's the "her" part that's got you twisted. Grow up.
6
Truth be told, there have always been women deeply involved in the defense of our nation and the rule change allowing them to enter all areas of service was long overdue.
This amazing young woman gave her life in the service of our country and this veteran of the Cold War era Army is thankful she was there for us. I just wish she had been able to retire after a full career. My deepest condolences to all her family & friends.
42
My Grandmother was an Amy nurse in WW II in the South Pacific. Experienced major trauma at 20 years old treating soldiers “just boys” who’d been shredded in the brutal island fighting. SHE had tremendous photos of the female Drs and nurses who helped save lives in field hospitals. SHE was proud of the lives they saved, not bitter because of “ discriminatory “ treatments hear about today. Maybe if we dig in we will realize women have made an equal contribution to the creation and preservation of the Republic!
6
It would be fitting if Congress awarded Chief Kent her officer's commission now, in honor of her service and in validation of the service of the women who serve in equally dangerous situations.
243
@Joe
I was hoping that that would be in the next sentence after the explanation that because of her efforts, the Navy changed its rules - - Perhaps
13
The Navy has a medal for warriors like Chief Kent, and you usually have to die to get it.
22
Would that our nation’s leaders were even one-tenth as strong, dedicated, talented and accomplished as this woman. The likes of Trump, McConnell and Pence are are soft, cowardly slackers, by comparison. If we were to elevate talent and character like this, our nation would be truly transformed...
114
Too bad. I guess my sister's niece was lucky. After ROTC and college, my sister-in-law's niece received her commission and became a language specialist. She excelled at everything she did, and certainly her skills are greatly needed. However, my sister-in-law's niece resigned as soon as she could. She suffered from continual and ferocious sexual harassment from the (expletive) males who worked under her. That's the military. The guys would rather die...literally...than let a woman serve as their leader.
29
Her story should be on the front page of the print edition.
94
What an amazing person; what a terrible loss. My very sincere condolences to her husband and her two little boys.
36
What an inspiration! If you looked at her career, without knowing her gender, you'd be astounded. But if you add in "gave birth twice" , "fought cancer", "operating at a lower rank", your mind goes numb. It's analogous to the old "backwards, and in high heels"meme.
I'm sorry for her family, her friends, and her unit. Her loss has diminished the effectiveness of our military actions on behalf of ourselves and our allies. Rest easy, sailor!
98
What a loss.
Irreplaceable as a person and a warrior.
Condolences to the family.
39
Thank you for shining a light on an extraordinary woman and service member!
116
Extraordinary service, extraordinary sailor. Sorrow for the loss of this person, and for her family. Thank you for your great dedication to our nation.
153
Yes she is a warrior at the most elite level. I’m so proud to know she is one of ours. My heart breaks for her family. Their grief will yield to memories of her strength courage service and brilliance.
311
Very heroic
18