that's why i'm proud of him. >> master sergeant joshua wheeler from roland, oklahoma, was 39 years old. he leaves his wife, four sons, his grandfather and grandmother. >> we saw the american troop commitment in vietnam escalate from a small number of advisers like sergeant wheeler, to hundreds of thousands of troops over more than a decade of war. the united states army has now buried its first soldiers lost in the war against isis. and tonight, we may be many, many years away from the last funeral for the last american soldier killed in a war against isis, a war made more likely to escalate because nine terrorist s decided to bring their war to the streets of paris friday night. we will be joined later by two experts who say escalating war is the war that isis wants. but first, there are more raids in france and belgium today. we will get updates on all of that beginning in paris with nbc's kelly cobiella. what's the case there tonight? >> there's more raids in belgium and france. we're learning more about the female bomber who blew herself up, the raid that killed the so-called linch

master sergeant joshua wheeler.was the first american so soldier to die under enemy fire in iraq in four years there. >> we will deliver isil is lasting defeat. >> is the united states back in business in iraq? ash carter said this week before the senate arms services committee that the u.s. was considering direct action on the ground. you're about to see an interview i did for my documentary which i did this past monday. he's deputy national security advisory to obama and national security advisor to biden. >> at the end of the day the iraqis wants us out. that's what happened. the body politics was clear on that. the really group that really wanted us to stay was the kurds. they didn't believe it, every step of the way we designed a glide path that would gradually pull us out of iraq. at every step along the way the iraqis didn't believe we would follow through. they didn't believe we would get out of the cities, we did. they didn't believe we would end our combat mission. we had to prove to them that we meant it.

ten days ago master sergeant joshua wheeler in iraq to simply assist iraqi forces who wasn't in combat was killed in combat. are you schizophrenic? you announce that you're going to send $100 million to the syrian rebels? wait. why, didn't we just spend $500 million training them? and how did that work out? we got five guys trained, and they ran off. maybe they're going to start the middle east version of five guys pizza. almost 300,000 syrians dead. russia get into the game he didn't bother to tell you on the day he met you, he just starts bombing the same day, and you don't even sound good you say assad must go who are we to tell them that assad must go. you went back when he crosses your red line and now you're going to stand up like a bully in a schoolyard and yell what needs to be done? even russia when asked if assad should go gave a more democratic answer let syria decide within the frame work of the political process. now after isis controls more than half of syria, more than 300,000 people dead antiquities and churches and christians killed you decide to send ground troops int

master sergeant joshua wheeler became the first american to die in combat in iraq since 2011. since his death, more revelations have come out about the u.s. expanding role on the ground in iraq. bloomberg news is reporting the u.s. has been running a secret special operations center in the iraqi city of irbil. meanwhile, defense secretary ashton carter acknowledged u.s. troops would take part in direct action in both iraq and syria. >> third and final raids signaling we won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against isil or conducting such missions directly. whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground. amy: the expanded u.s. ground presence in iraq and syria come after years of promises by president obama that no ground troops would fight again in iraq. this is the president speaking in june of 2014. >> i think we always have to guard against -- let me repeat what i've said in the past, american combat troops are not going to be fighting in iraq again. amy: just last month, president obama reversed course in afghanistan, ha

master sergeant joshua wheeler.st american soldier to die under enemy fire in iraq in four years there. >> we will deliver isil a lasting defeat. >> so is the united states back in the combat business in iraq? ash carter said this week before the senate arms services committee that the u.s. was considering direct action on the ground. i wanted to take you inside the administration's thinking on this important issue. for that, you're about to see an interview i did for our documentary, "long road to hell: america in iraq." i sat down with the deputy secretary of state in august of the state department. in his current role and last ones as deputy national security advisor to obama and national security advisor to biden. so understand iraq in 2015, we have to fully appreciate why the obama administration pulled out in 2011. and that is where blinken begins. >> at the end of the day, the iraqis wanted us out. that's what happened. and the body politic was clear on that. the only group that really wanted us to stay were

one of those accompanied advisors, master sergeant joseph wheeler -- joshua wheeler heroically acted to ensure the , overall success of the mission. and lost his life in the process. the death of any service member is a tragedy. as i told his family and teammates of this weekend, we offer our condolences to master sergeant wheeler's loved ones. while our mission in iraq is to inin and provide assistance those operations we want to , support our partners and we will. raid, thee time, the strikes, these should serve notice to isolate another terrorist leaders that once we locate them, no target is beyond our reach. as we have looked at how to gather momentum and adapt to the changing battlefield, some have discussed putting a buffer zone, humanitarian zone or no-fly zone , in syria. we analyzed various options in the political and military requirements of each. these are complex and raised some challenges which i am prepared to discuss. let me turn to russia's involvement in syria. to be clear we are not , cooperating with russia. and we're not letting russia impact the pace or scope o

when you look what happened to major sergeant joshua wheeler in iraq where we also had no boots on thed nobody fighting with front line forces. then we were told, oh, absolutely they're in combat. how do you square that? >> you don't and the other thing that this does, and as a military guy still serving in the guard, it is kind of offensive to me, it takes away to an extent the service that people are really performing. we have 3,000 troops in iraq, right now, all in harm's way, whether a mortar attack or maybe an attack on a base, all are in harm's way. to say they're really not in harm's way, they're really not no combat, in my mind takes away from very brave and brilliant and very courageous mission that our young men and women are doing. again, i commend the president on stepping up against isis, i really do, and recognizing the need to do that, but it is time to stand in front of the american people saying i will do what is necessary to win. not i'm going to continue to tell you i'm telling the truth about combat troops. last thing i want to say about this on that. i'm tired of p

. >> senator reid, thank you all for being here, and let me give a mention to master sergeant joshua wheeler there probably is no better runple of someone who has into danger for this country over and over again. i wanted to mention his name in the hearing today. we all mourn his loss and the loss of his family and we support them through this trying time. senator reid asked you about the new syrian forces. have we provided supplies to those forces? general dunford: we have, senator. >> have they successfully called in air strikes? general dunford: they have. >> can you tell us for the record how many? general dunford: i cannot. i can get the information for you. >> on iraq, i have a tendency to believe those ig reports that came out september 30. they raised several concerns. one is asking us to refurbish the conditions under which the iraqis are training. d.i.g. recommends the coalition work with the iraqi administer of the fence on a plan that clarifies the contributions of the united states to improve their living conditions. the ig is saying we are having desertions because they live in

president, the president acting right now and i want to pay tribute to army sergeant joshua wheeler. ua was born in roland, oklahoma. he was deployed to kirkuk province, iraq, in support of operation inherent resolve. and i remember -- didn't remember him at the time but i was there during that time. he was deployed in -- to kirkuk to support the inherent resolve operation. and that was his 14th deployment. 14th deployment in combat operations in iraq and afghanistan. josh's unit, along with iraq and the kurdish forces, raided a compound near the city of kirkuk, freeing 70 prisoners from captivity and josh died of injuries sustained in that firefight. he would have turned 40 this month. josh attended and graduated from muldrow high school in 1994 and a classmate of his, miss trilb moreland said this about josh. this is a quote. she said -- quote -- "if you would have asked me 20 years ago would he be the man, the kind of man to do this, to give his life for everyone else, i would say most definitely. i wish everyone could have known him." josh enlisted in the army straight out of high