Jay Kramer

NatSec fellow @FDD | @USNavy Officer | Avid sports fan. Views are my own.

[Veterans On Duty @VeteransOnDuty]

Stories of Service: Captain John S. McCain III, U.S. Navy

Born into a Navy family in 1936, John McCain followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and became a naval aviator, eventually deploying to Vietnam aboard the USS Forrestal.

On October 26, 1967, during his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down over Hanoi. He ejected from the aircraft, suffering serious injuries, and was captured by North Vietnamese forces.

McCain spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war, enduring repeated torture, beatings, and solitary confinement. Despite being offered an opportunity for early release because of his father's position in the Navy, he refused to leave before his fellow prisoners, remaining committed to the military Code of Conduct.

Released in March 1973, McCain returned to the United States and continued his service in the Navy before retiring in 1981. He later served for more than three decades in Congress, including as a U.S. Senator from Arizona, and a nominee for President in 2008.

His life was defined by a commitment to service that extended well beyond the cockpit. His story is a reminder of the courage, resilience, and devotion to country that have defined generations of American sailors.

This Veterans Day, we remember Captain John McCain and all those who have served in defense of our nation. 🇺🇸

[Navy SEAL Foundation @NavySEALfnd]

To every veteran, past and present, thank you for your courage and unwavering commitment to defending our freedom. Today, we honor your service, your sacrifice, and your dedication to our nation.

#NavySEALFoundation #VeteransDay

[Richard Goldberg @rich_goldberg]

Our country is stronger because of the men and women who serve. To all my fellow veterans, thank you for making America great.

[U.S. Navy @USNavy]

Today, we honor all who served. 🇺🇸

Across every generation and every service branch, America's veterans have answered the call.

Thank you for your courage, commitment and sacrifice.

#VeteransDay

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

At a time when so much of our public life is defined by division and cynicism, Veterans Day reminds us of the Americans who chose to serve a cause greater than themselves.

To veterans across our country: Thank you. We are a better country for it.

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

This is awesome.

[NFL @NFL]

Master Sergeant Kelsey McLeod surprises her family on the field ❤️ #SaluteToService

[Veterans On Duty @VeteransOnDuty]

For 251 years, America’s Sailors have stood watch, projected American strength, and defended our nation’s interests around the world. Veterans on Duty honors their service, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms. Happy Birthday, @USNavy! 🇺🇸

[Department of War 🇺🇸 @DeptofWar]

For 251 years, America’s Navy has projected American power and defended our nation’s freedom.

Our sailors stand ready to FIGHT AND WIN.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @USNAVY

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Hedge-fund titan Ken Griffin is donating $2 billion to start a Carnegie Mellon University campus in Miami, part of the largest-ever individual gift toward higher education https://t.co/tSdkPPou9b

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

Let’s go!

[Justin Thomas @JustinThomas34]

It’s go time. Let’s get it @PresidentsCup 🇺🇸

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

This story didn’t disappoint. Incredible bravery, courage, and sacrifice all around. The U.S. military is phenomenal. 🇺🇸

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

First on 60 Minutes: Newly declassified video shows service members from U.S. Joint Special Operations Command rescuing Bravo, one of the two U.S. Air Force officers shot down over Iran in April. Bravo was stranded for two days – alone and badly wounded, behind enemy lines. https://t.co/9RegDJ3iPV

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

Hero.

[Josh Elman @joshelman]

Worth the read every year. #neverforget

Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. – This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?

Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives – they took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?

Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.

Todd: It’s United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?

Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!

Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!

Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait – wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it – we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.

Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??

Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh God —help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..

Lisa: I promise – I’ll call.

[Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 @JerryDunleavy]

Fr. Mychal Judge — “Victim 0001” — was an FDNY chaplain who responded on 9/11 & spent his last moments comforting firefighters and praying for those forced to jump or fall from the WTC. The South Tower collapsed & he was killed, becoming 9/11’s first recorded death. #NeverForget

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

Thank you! And, great book that’s worth your time.

[Toby Harnden @tobyharnden]

When the first plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, these men were spread across the world. One was on a flight from Tashkent to Heathrow. Another was in a courtroom thousands of miles from the U.S. finalizing the adoption of his son. A third was underwater off Key West as part of his Special Forces diving course. A fourth was at CIA headquarters, furious that he was evacuated. “Why are we leaving when we can stay and do something?” he asked. When he finally got home, he told his wife: “This is war.”

Just over a month later, they became the CIA’s Team Alpha - the first Americans behind enemy lines after 9/11. Here they are at K2 air base in Uzbekistan on October 16, 2001, in front of one of the Black Hawks that flew them into Afghanistan that night. Back row, left to right: Alex Hernandez, Scott Spellmeyer, J. R. Seeger, Mark Rausenberger, David Tyson, Mike Spann. Front row: Andy Hartsog, Justin Sapp (Green Beret captain, attached). Stenciled on the side of the 160th SOAR helicopter was a phrase adapted from the 1987 movie The Untouchables, about Al Capone: “Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight.”

Team Alpha’s writ was to extend over Samangan, Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan, and Sar-e Pol, five of Afghanistan’s thirty-four provinces. This was a land area of over 30,000 square miles—slightly larger than the state of South Carolina.

The men of Team Alpha embodied America’s desire to strike back after 9/11. On September 20, President George W. Bush, in an address to a joint session of Congress, described the United States as “a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom,” declaring: “And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment.”

One of these eight never came back and is now at rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

Team Alpha’s story - a tale of American heroes and how the U.S. won the Afghanistan War in a few weeks before taking 20 years to lose it - is revealed in my book “First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11.”

Never forget.

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

We should all aspire to live like Welles, with courage, humility, and in service to others. A must-watch as we prepare to mark this solemn anniversary. #NeverForget

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

On 9/11, BC lacrosse alum Welles Crowther gave his life to save others—guiding people to safety, carrying strangers down stairwells, and returning again and again. His courage endures. #NeverForget

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

Really couldn't have said it better.

[Veterans On Duty @VeteransOnDuty]

There are innumerable stories of patriotism and sacrifice from 9/11, and we should reflect on as many of them as we can.

Heather “Lucky” Penney and Marc Sasseville took off in unarmed F-16s prepared to sacrifice their own lives if that was what it took to stop another attack on Washington.

In an age of polarization and cynicism, it’s worth remembering that there are still Americans willing to serve a cause bigger than themselves—to put duty before self, sacrifice for their fellow citizens, and defend a country and a way of life they believe are worth protecting.

That spirit of service, courage, and devotion to one another is among the very best of America. 🇺🇸

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

I’ll never forget watching President Bush walk out to the mound at Yankee Stadium and throw a strike.

@GeorgeWill once said, “Baseball suits the character of this democratic nation.” In the days after 9/11, we needed baseball. 🇺🇸⚾️

Looking forward to “When America Took the Field.” This one will bring back a lot of memories.

[MLB Network @MLBNetwork]

Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the baseball world came together through the game that we know and love ⚾️🇺🇸

📽️ “When America Took The Field”
📺 September 10th at 10pm ET on MLB Network

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

I guess I'll be watching @60Minutes for the first time in a while this week.

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

An American Air Force officer was shot down over Iran. Wounded and alone, with the enemy closing in, he spent 50 hours trying to survive as he waited for a rescue. For the first time, he tells his story. This Sunday on 60 Minutes.

[Jay Kramer @jay_kramer]

I hope I don’t meet this person…..

[Fried Egg Golf @fried_egg_golf]

"I believe the best golf course in the U.S. that anyone can play for less than $50 is in Garden City, Kansas.

I'm talking about Buffalo Dunes Golf Course." - @garrett_TFE