The Army troops are receiving treatment after the Jan. 3 operation that resulted in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s capture.
SAN ANTONIO — Some military service members continue to recover at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio over a week after their participation in the Jan. 3 operation to capture Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn visited the injured U.S. Army troops Monday morning, according to a post by Cornyn on X. Hegseth is in Texas for his ongoing Arsenal of Freedom Tour; he was scheduled to also visit a Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth and SpaceX facilities in South Texas.
“These service members & their families have given so much to our nation & we all owe them a debt of gratitude,” Cornyn wrote on social media. “I join Texans in continuing to pray for them. Thanks to the great personnel at Brooke Army Medical Center helping their recovery.”
Maduro and his wife were seized from their home on a military base in the dramatic early-morning operation that capped a monthslong effort by the Trump administration to exert pressure on the Venezuelan leader. U.S. military leaders said they rehearsed the operation for months before explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas in an assault that ultimately lasted less than 30 minutes.
At least 24 Venezuelan security officers, along with 32 Cuban military and police officers working in the country, were killed as a result of the operation, Venezuelan officials have said.
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings. He previously said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela in the interim and get U.S. oil companies to help rebuild its infrastructure.
Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) commonly serves as a treatment center for injured service members as well as Americans returning from overseas imprisonment. In 2023, six U.S. citizens released from Venezuela in a swap with the U.S. government arrived in the Alamo City to be medically evaluated at BAMC.
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