JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Marines have already been deployed to Libya to secure American interests in that region after the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate which killed four American diplomats.
More unrest in Egypt and Yemen also has the put U.S. military on standby. And as the violence unfolds, local troops and their families now have to wonder, could more American troops be headed that way?
Retired Rear Adm. Victor Guillory said, "Certainly the United States has been violated." He knows what it's like to fight for his country. He served in the Navy for 34 years before becoming the Director of Military Affairs for the City of Jacksonville.
He says right now, local sailors are keeping a close eye on what's happening in the Middle East. "Here in Jacksonville, those sailors are preparing. They're preparing personally through training, their equipment, their aircraft, just in case that they're needed to be called up, or they need be ready to go."
He says enlisted men and women aren't the only ones preparing for a possible deployment. Their families are too. "Often I think as a military member, we tend to forget as we prepare to forward to do what we're trained and ready to do, it comes at a price to our families."
The anti-American violence in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen comes at a time when President Obama is bringing home troops from Afghanistan. And while there's no indication that more troops will be sent to those countries right now, Guillory says military men and women make a vow to serve and protect their country at a moment's notice.
"These sailors, these Marines, are prepared and ready to do whatever our nation needs," he said.
To honor U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three staffers killed in Libya this week, Governor Rick Scott has ordered all American flags be flown at half staff through Sept. 16.
