US Army Soldier Dies from Injuries in Biden-Harris Gaza Pier Debacle

Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, a 23-year-old U.S. soldier, has paid the ultimate price for a mission many experts warned was flawed from the start. This is the third American death that can be traced back to the Gaza Pier debacle – which cost taxpayers $320 million – but the first of a US Serviceman.

Critically injured over the summer during the Biden-Harris administration’s ill-conceived Gaza pier project, Stanley battled his injuries for months before passing on October 31. His death is a painful reminder of the risks taken by young service members on operations shaped by political optics and poorly considered planning.

Yet, as CNN’s Haley Britzky reports, the information came from the Department of Defense. Neither President Biden nor Vice President Harris has publicly acknowledged this loss. The silence from the White House is deafening. No statements of respect for the fallen soldier, no comfort extended to the family who gave their son for a mission that many in Congress and the military called a political stunt. For Stanley’s grieving family and his fellow soldiers, this lack of recognition adds insult to a tragedy that might have been avoidable.

Stanley, only 23 years old, was one of three U.S. service members injured on the ill-fated mission. His unit, the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, watched as he fought to survive after a non-combat injury in May, eventually being transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Tragically, he passed on October 31, leaving behind a grieving family and a unit left questioning why they were ever sent on this mission to begin with.

“Sgt Quandarius Stanley was an instrumental and well respected first line leader in the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary (TBX), especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” Colonel John “Eddie” Gray, commander of the 7th, told CTV Monday. “We will continue to provide support to his family during this difficult time. Our entire unit mourns alongside his family.”

It’s unclear exactly how Stanely and two other Army soldiers were injured but a senior source at the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command tells gCaptain it was likely due to being crushed by cargo that shifted in a wave.

This marks the third death related to the Gaza Pier mission. Just days before Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley’s passing, Norfolk’s Marine Hydraulics International (MHI) reported that two shipworkers died aboard the USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, a Military Sealift Command ship undergoing repairs in connection with the Gaza aid mission, was the site of a tragic accident during maintenance. The workers’ identities have not been released. The vessel had previously been dispatched to support the pier mission but was diverted to the shipyard after its engine room caught fire en route to Gaza in April.

Even before the pier was built, maritime experts with direct experience building military piers – including myself and former Merchant Mariner and maritime historian Sal Mercogliano – warned it was destined to fail, pointing to the lack of essential protections like a breakwater. These concerns were ignored, and the administration pressed on, pouring millions into a floating pier that was battered by the very first storms it encountered. Now, the pier sits uselessly in Ashdod, idle and exposed as yet another symbol of wasted American tax dollars.

Congressional Republicans were quick to label the project a blatant political stunt. Biden, facing pressure from his own party to appear supportive of Palestinian civilians, greenlit this ill-conceived pier as a way to deflect from his unwavering support of Israel’s war efforts against Hamas. “This chapter might be over in President Biden’s mind, but the national embarrassment that this project has caused is not,” said Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The only miracle here is that this doomed-from-the-start operation did not cost more American lives.”

While the floating pier managed to deliver a meager 19 million pounds of aid over its entire operational lifespan—about 20 days—the project has been an unmitigated disaster. The U.N. World Food Programme halted operations in June over security concerns, and aid has been left sitting on Gaza’s shores, a pitiful testament to the U.S.’s half-hearted humanitarian efforts. Despite all the fanfare, maritime deliveries are no substitute for secure land routes, something the administration should have prioritized if they were serious about helping people in need.

Making matters worse, the Government Accountability Office’s latest report paints a damning picture of the Army’s watercraft fleet—the very vessels tasked carried out this botched mission. The fleet, already under-resourced and ill-maintained, is struggling to stay afloat, with only 40% of its vessels deemed mission-ready, down from an already unimpressive 75% just four years ago. This is the fleet tasked with logistical operations in the Indo-Pacific, a region identified by the Department of Defense as the primary theater for potential future conflict with China. Yet, Army leadership continues to rely on outdated, handwritten maintenance logs in 2024, leaving vessels languishing for years in shipyards while morale and readiness plummet.

And then there’s Sgt. Stanley—was injured on a floating pier in a war zone, medically retired, and left fighting for his life in long-term care until he succumbed to his injuries. Vice Adm. Bradley Cooper of U.S. Central Command initially confirmed the injuries, noting that Stanley was hospitalized in Israel before being transferred back to the U.S.

His death occurred 5 days ago and the administration’s response? Silence. No public condolences, no statements of respect for the fallen who died in a manner that maritime experts predicted—just silence from the White House.

Related Video – Why The Gaza Pier Failed

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