U.S. is having success against ISIL, leader says at Cincy convention

‘We’ve undermined the aura of invincibility,’ Joint Chiefs chairman says.


Presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will address veterans this week in Cincinnati and we’ll be there to bring you the story. Clinton will speak around noon Wednesday and Trump is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday. For the latest in political news, like our Ohio Politics Facebook page and follow our team on Twitter at @Ohio_Politics.

The top U.S. military leader told thousands of veterans that American troops have had “significant success” in taking the leaders of the Islamic State off the battlefield.

“The current fight against ISIL is our priority and we’re taking the fight to the enemy in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Libya,” Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday at the 98th annual American Legion National Convention in Cincinnati.

“But I want to make it clear that our No. 1 priority and the reason why we are in all those places is to prevent an attack here in the homeland,” the four-star general added. “Over the past year, we’ve had some significant success taking ISIL leaders off the battlefield, reducing their resources and the territory that they hold.

“We’ve also built the capacity of global forces to make sure whatever success that we have is enduring. Most importantly, we’ve undermined the aura of invincibility and the credibility of ISIL’s narrative. They are being exposed for the losers that they are.”

Dunford is the first major national speaker to address some 9,000 members of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary gathered at the Duke Energy Convention Center. This week, Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Secretary of the VA Robert McDonald will address veterans in the convention hall.

Dunford took time to memorialize Marine 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips and Army Private 1st Class Matthew Bean, both from his home state of Massachusetts and who died of combat injuries sustained in Iraq, and told the former service members the current generation of those in the military have stepped up to meet global threats. Dunford said they have deterred Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, sailed maritime patrols in the Persian Gulf and South China Sea, and intercepted narcotics traffic outside of the nation’s borders, among other demands.

“A lot of folks here today question the youth of America,” Dunford said. “At one time, we have disparaged them as the Nintendo generation. But that’s not what I have seen in the past 15 years at war.”

Stanley Pleasant, a 64-year-old Air Force veteran and retired Wright-Patterson Air Force Base civilian employee who lives in Dayton, said Dunford’s message reassured him the U.S. military was making gains against the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIL.

“But it’s just going to take some time,” he said. “We’re not going to do it overnight.”

The American Legion does does not endorse candidates nor ascribe to political affiliations, but the convention hall had the feel and appearance of a political convention at times with delegates gathered around placards with the name of their home state.

Vietnam veteran Dennis Dickey, 65, of Covington, Ohio, was waiting to find out this week what Clinton and Trump would say to veterans in the midst of a heated and divisive national campaign for the White House.

“We’re looking forward to hearing what they have to say about what they’re going to do for the veteran population and the direction they are going to take this country,” the former Marine said. “It’s important for us to hear this and pass the word on to the local citizens back home.”

Staff writer Michael Pitman contributed to this story.

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