Following a Pentagon briefing on the deaths of six U.S. service members in Iraq, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said families urged him to 'finish the war in Iran.' One father, Mylo Simmons, shared his experience, describing his son Tyler and the emotional interaction with the President at Dover Air Force Base. Simmons later refuted a headline that mischaracterized his statements.
Tyler Simmons, left, in a photo taken by U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Nicholas Battani in Youngstown, Ohio, June 27, 2023. High school graduation photo, right, provided by family. Grief and politics collided after a Pentagon briefing on the six U.
S. service members killed in Iraq, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said families of the fallen airmen told him to “finish the war in Iran.” The father of one of those airmen,Mylo Simmons spoke with ABC 6 about his son, describing him as someone with “a magnanimous personality,” who “never met a stranger” and “would light up the room with his smile.” Mylo Simmons said a ceremony last Monday at Dover Air Force Base remains surreal. He said his family was the first to be greeted by the president and his team. “Much to my pleasant surprise, I saw emotion in the president's face,” Simmons said. “Usually, when you see him on television, he's just being the stern leader. I get that. But his humanity showed in that moment.”“We shook hands, I conveyed to him. Tyler was my only son. And they had been briefed on his record, so they were aware of his record. And we embraced,” Simmons said. He said Hegseth thanked him for Tyler’s service.“They said, ‘Finish this. Honor their sacrifice, do not waver, do not stop until the job is done.’ My response, along with that of the president was, of course, we will finish this,” Hegseth said.“No, I set the tone. Right out the bat. Thank you for being here with Tyler Simmons,” he said. “So I can't speak to what he said to other families because I wasn't in there.” Simmons said his words were later “twisted by a different group,” and he pushed back on a headline he said mischaracterized him. “Their headline was the Defense Secretary is called out to be a liar by the father of Tyler Simmons. I didn't say that,” Simmons said. “And I did give them a rebuttal.”“I don't appreciate it when the media takes a tragedy and wants to use it as a political diving board, per se,” Simmons said. “I think that profoundly shows a lack of integrity, and is not what journalism is supposed to be about.”“They were heroes. That should be the focus. Keep politics in its place, but from my position, this is no place for top politics. Honoring our fallen, honoring our loved ones,” he said.At least three people died, and eight others were injured when an apartment complex caught on fire in north Columbus.Mylo Simmons spoke with ABC 6 about his son, describing him as someone with “a magnanimous personality,” who “never met a stranger” and “would light up the roomA parent volunteer has been charged after allegedly pocketing more than $40,000 dollars during her time as Hilliard Bradley Athletic Boosters treasurer.In posts leading up to the surgery, she expressed both excitement and nervousness, asking followers for prayers ahead of the procedure.Video shows the tense moments before a police chase ended in a deadly crash in Linden, after Columbus police tried to stop a vehicle tied to a shooting investig
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