As war with Iran seems more and more likely, it’s important that we pray for those in our military. And few will be more important in an U.S.-Iran conflict than Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, current commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

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Fox News details Kurilla’s story:

Two decades ago as a lieutenant colonel, he was at the front lines of combat fighting off insurgents in Mosul, Iraq, while leading the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment. The battalion’s mission was to conduct security patrols and coordinate offensive attacks against anti-Iraqi insurgents targeting Iraqi security forces and Iraqi police stations.

During Kurilla’s tenure leading the battalion, more than 150 soldiers earned the Purple Heart for injuries, and the battalion lost at least a dozen soldiers, The New York Times reported in August 2005.

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Kurilla did not complete that deployment unscathed. Later, in August 2005, Kurilla found himself caught in a Mosul, Iraq, firefight, where he sustained multiple gunshot wounds, earning him a Bronze Star with valor and one of his two Purple Heart awards.

After years of dedicated service to our nation, Kurilla found himself at the top of CENTCOM, serving, according to Fox, as “the top military officer overseeing U.S. military forces based in the Middle East.” That means that, should President Trump decide to use the American military to combat Iran, Kurilla would be at the forefront of any and all military operations.

For his part, Kurilla seems eager to protect American interests in the region. Fox reports that, on June 10, he told Congress about the increased danger U.S. troops in the Middle East have faced since Hamas’ initial attack on Israel:

Specifically, he said, U.S. troops have come under direct fire by nearly 400 unmanned aerial systems, 350 rockets, 50 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles launched by Iranian-backed groups.

He said CENTCOM has encountered the “most highly kinetic period than at any other time in the past decade.”

“We have been at the brink of regional war several times with the first state-on-state attacks between Iran and Israel in their history,” Kurilla told lawmakers. “In the Red Sea, Houthi attempts to kill Americans operating in the Red Sea necessitated an aggressive response to protect our sailors and mariners and restore freedom of navigation. This is while Tehran is continuing to progress towards a nuclear weapons program — threatening catastrophic ramifications across the region and beyond.”

Kurilla has said that CENTCOM is prepared to use military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and he said he has provided President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth with options to eliminate the nuclear threat.

President Trump, meanwhile, remains unsure. The President has not yet decided whether or not America will directly engage with Iran, although he did confirm through the Press Secretary on Thursday that he would make a decision within the next two weeks.

This is a critical time for America, Israel, and the world. As this conflict develops, let’s keep the situation in the Middle East, President Trump, and Army Gen. Michael Kurilla in our prayers!

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(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)