An Arizona National Guard soldier, Sgt. Aneska S. Holness, has finally been awarded a Purple Heart after she fiercely overcame injuries sustained from a drone attack on Tower 22, a military outpost in Jordan. Holness, having survived the drone strike early in her deployment, now recovers from life-altering injuries with a spirit unyielding to the circumstances that could have otherwise defined her.
Despite the surprise of the attack that occurred in an area not hit in over 20 years, Holness, according to a Fox10 Phoenix interview, instinctually rushed to help her fellow service members. "She was calling out for help and everything else didn't matter in that moment. It was just trying to get to her," Holness recalled. The aftermath of the incident saw her injured but undeterred, her focus laser-sharp on the end goal, which included continuing her academic pursuits at Arizona State University and mastering cybersecurity.
Task and Purpose details that Holness, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 158th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade, was among over 350 service members from Arizona's National Guard unit deployed in September 2023 to supplement Operation Spartan Shield. This operation is aimed to stave off any spreading of the Syrian civil war, a mission necessitating diligence and readiness, as reflected by the sacrifices made during the drone attack.
Holness's service and bravery have been firmly acknowledged, recently manifesting in a Purple Heart award presented at a Fort Bliss, Texas ceremony. "The number one takeaway from this experience is to appreciate the small things more; focus on the people and things that add value to your life and less on the things that don't," Holness told Task and Purpose. Her resolve, to continue to further not only her military career but also her scholastic goals, resonates as an exemplary story of resilience.
