a combat role. >> u.s. forces are not in an active combat mission. >> it represents a continuation of our advice and assist mission. >> our position is a support mission. >> we do not have combat coordinations there the way we had once upon a time in iraq. >> u.s. forces are not in a combat role in iraq. >> and it went on. retired army reserve lieutenant colonel tony shaffer is an operative. they got hammered from press across the board from every media outlet. >> yes, they did. >> for refusing to say this is combat. does it have anything to do with barack obama saying specifically back in 2014 that the american forces deployed to iraq do not and will not have a combat mission? >> absolutely. i mean, ash carter danced all over the fact, oh, we don't have combat formations like we did before. no, but we have combat forces. delta didn't show up to train some people to basket weave.