The news that U.S. Central Command has lost a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft over western Iraq is not just another military headline

CENTCOM confirmed that two aircraft were involved in the incident, with one KC-135 Stratotanker going down in friendly airspace while the other landed safely, and rescue operations are ongoing. Officials say the crash was not the result of hostile or friendly fire, but the timing is impossible to ignore. It is another reminder that the war now unfolding against Iran is already extracting a price in American lives and equipment — and the cost is climbing.

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:4 (KJB)

This tanker went down in the middle of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran that has already seen thousands of strikes across the region. And the war has already produced American casualties. In the opening days of the conflict, Iranian missile and drone strikes targeted U.S. forces across the Middle East. A drone attack on a U.S. position in Kuwait alone killed multiple American soldiers, with additional service members later dying from their wounds or other incidents connected to the deployment.

FROM THE US CENTRAL COMMAND: At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. All six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. source

The toll has now reached at least eight American service members dead, with nearly 200 more wounded. If the crew of the KC-135 Stratotanker is not rescued, that will bring the death toll to anywhere between 11-14 soldiers since the war began.

These are not abstract numbers. They are:

• sons
• daughters
• husbands
• fathers
• mothers

They are young Americans who left home believing they were serving their country, and now their families are burying them. War always comes with speeches about strategy and national security, but for the families receiving folded flags at Dover Air Force Base, the cost is painfully personal.

The conflict is expanding rapidly. U.S. forces have already conducted thousands of strikes against Iranian targets, and regional tensions are exploding from Lebanon to the Persian Gulf. Oil prices are surging, the Strait of Hormuz is under threat, and global markets are already reacting to the instability.

Meanwhile, the United States is burning through aircraft hours, munitions, and billions of dollars. In the first week alone, the war has already cost over $11 billion, and now another aircraft is gone. A KC-135 Stratotanker tanker is not just another airplane. It is a flying gas station, essential to keeping fighters and bombers in the air. Without tankers, modern air warfare stops. When one of them is suddenly lost in the middle of a major air campaign, it shows how intense the operational tempo has already become.

For now, Washington insists the war is going well. But history teaches a sobering lesson: wars are easy to start and hard to control. Every new headline — a drone strike, a missile attack, a downed aircraft — tells the same story. The price is rising. First came the missile strikes. then the first American casualties, now the loss of a refueling aircraft over Iraq with possible the entire crew lost. And the question hanging over everything is the same one nations have faced for thousands of years: How much will this war ultimately cost before it is finished? Because war always collects its payment made in blood, in treasure, and in consequences that often last long after the shooting stops.

Rescue efforts underway after US KC-135 Stratotanker lost over Iraq

“US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” CENTCOM said. “Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. “This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

From The Mysterious Drone Sightings Over New Jersey In 2024 To Today’s California Warnings, The Iranian ‘Mothership’ Story Has Returned but with a twist

In December of 2024, a strange story began circulating about mysterious drones flying over New Jersey. Soon after, a claim surfaced that Iran had positioned a “mothership” off the East Coast launching drones toward the United States. The story spread quickly, the headlines ran with it, and social media exploded. But within days the Pentagon flatly denied it, satellite imagery showed Iranian drone ships still sitting near Iran, and the entire narrative quietly faded away. Fast forward to today and suddenly the same storyline is back — except now it is being discussed in connection with a potential Iranian drone attack on California from a vessel offshore which is quite real.

“And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.” Zechariah 5:2 (KJB)

At first glance it sounds like the same rumor recycled again. But the reality is more complicated than that. The difference today is that the concept of a drone mothership is no longer theoretical. Iran actually built them. Over the past two years, Iran has begun converting large commercial container ships into floating drone bases capable of launching unmanned aircraft far from its own shores. One of the most notable examples is the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a converted container ship outfitted with a drone runway, helicopter facilities, missiles, and electronic warfare systems. In essence, Iran cannot build a traditional aircraft carrier, so it built something cheaper and far more unconventional — a drone carrier.

Trump mentally preparing you to accept the coming sleeper cell false flag attacks. pic.twitter.com/xaibQVjccZ

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) March 12, 2026

These ships are designed to stay at sea for extended periods and launch surveillance drones or strike drones hundreds of miles from the launch point. In military terms, this is called power projection, and it allows a nation with limited conventional naval power to extend its reach across entire oceans. So when intelligence analysts talk about the possibility of drones being launched from a vessel offshore, they are not inventing science fiction. The technology exists, but that does not mean the rumors are automatically true.

The United States monitors the world’s oceans with satellites, radar systems, and naval patrols. A large vessel approaching the American coastline would not go unnoticed, and drones entering U.S. airspace would trigger multiple detection systems. In other words, launching a drone attack on the U.S. mainland from offshore would be extremely risky and difficult to pull off without detection. That is why the 2024 New Jersey story collapsed so quickly, there was simply no evidence to support it. But that was then, and this is now

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However, today’s discussion is emerging in a very different context. The United States and Iran are now engaged in open conflict following a series of strikes earlier this year. During the first hours of that war, U.S. forces reportedly targeted Iranian naval assets including one of the country’s drone-carrier ships. This is important because it reveals how seriously the military views these platforms. A floating drone base capable of launching swarms of unmanned aircraft is not just a curiosity — it is a strategic weapon. And that brings us to the bigger picture.

The development of drone carriers is part of a much larger transformation happening in warfare. Nations like China, Turkey, and Iran are experimenting with new ways to launch large numbers of inexpensive drones from ships, potentially overwhelming traditional defenses. Instead of a handful of expensive fighter jets, the future battlefield may involve hundreds of autonomous drones launched from sea-based platforms.

For now, reports of Iranian drones attacking California remain unverified intelligence warnings rather than confirmed threats. Officials have said there is no evidence of an imminent attack. But the fact that such scenarios are even being discussed shows how quickly modern warfare is changing. And if there is one lesson from both the New Jersey incident and the current California warning, it is this: rumors can spread faster than facts, but real military technology often lies somewhere underneath the noise. The challenge is separating speculation from reality before the next headline turns into the next panic. History has shown that the fog of war produces plenty of both.

Iran drones reaching West Coast

What kind of attack drones does Iran have and could they strike California?

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Numerous reported sightings of the hairy Bigfoot beasts — which are said to be up to 10 feet tall — have been reported in Ohio, leaving believers on edge.

Every few years the legend of Bigfoot rises up out of the American woods like a ghost story that refuses to die, and this week the spotlight has landed on rural Ohio. Residents in Portage County say they have seen massive, hairy creatures moving through wooded areas at night, and at least one homeowner reported their dog trembling in fear after something large entered the backyard. Whether you believe it or not, stories like this never quite go away. But the interesting part is not the creature itself — it’s the endless fascination people have with mysterious beings hiding in the shadows. And for good reason, there’s lots of stuff lurking in those shadows.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12 (KJB)

The modern world prides itself on science, technology and skepticism, yet millions remain captivated by tales of cryptids like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or mysterious “forest people.” Why? Because deep down people sense there is more to this world than what can be measured in a laboratory. The Bible tells us plainly that the unseen world is real. While people are scanning the tree line looking for Sasquatch, the far greater reality unfolding around us is the rapid approach of the end times. The world is racing toward a moment when deception will reach levels never seen before. The Bible warns that the coming Antichrist will operate through signs and wonders powerful enough to deceive the entire world. Personally, I do not know if Bigfoot is real or a psyop, but I know this. We are living in a world right now that is spiraling out of control so quickly that Bigfoot would be the least of our problems.

AFTER HEARING DR. AARON SPEAK ON THIS TOPIC AT THE COLLISION CONFERENCE, WE KNEW WE HAD TO MAKE THIS BOOK AVAILABLE AT THE BOOKSTORE, CLICK TO ORDER!!

Bigfoot sightings light up the gloomiest corner of Ohio — residents report dogs are ‘shaking in fear’

FROM THE NY POST: At least seven Bigfoot sightings have been reported across northeast Ohio since Friday, according to the minds at the Bigfoot Society, with most of the encounters coming between Akron and Youngstown in Portage County. Some are even suspecting an entire family of Sasquatches could be migrating through the region.

One of the latest alleged incidents happened Monday evening in Streetsboro, with the witness insisting she hadn’t seen any of the other reports of the sightings.

“They were passing the Tinkers Creek area when a 6-and-a-half-foot lean, brown bigfoot appeared in their lane but going against the flow of traffic,” the Bigfoot Society’s Jeremiah Byron said. “They were so close that the witness said that her daughter could have reached out and hit the Bigfoot with her arm.”

“She was so freaked out she couldn’t turn around and go back — she is not a Bigfoot person,” Byron added.

Surprising no one, perhaps, none of the Bigfoot spotters have managed to snap a photo — despite the ubiquity of high-resolution cameras on modern smartphones. And no reports have been made with local police, either, according to the Canton Repository.

“Who would have known that cell phone cameras don’t exist in North East Ohio?” one person quipped on X in response to the Bigfoot Society’s post.

The sightings appeared to be progressing eastward — leading the Bigfoot Society to posit a “Green Highway” theory that a family of cryptids was migrating through the area.

“Based on these coordinates, the subjects appear to be using the Headwaters Trail greenbelt as a primary travel corridor,” the group said in an X post. “The variation in height (6ft to 10ft) and color (brown to black) suggests we are not tracking a single individual, but potentially a family group or multiple subjects migrating eastward.”

The first sighting came Friday when somebody claimed to see a 9-foot-tall beast in broad daylight before it ran off after being spotted, then Saturday an 8-foot creature was grunting in a wooded area around 11 p.m. — with a footprint reportedly being found.

Then there were four more sightings over the following days through Tuesday morning, one of which left somebody’s German shepherd “visibly shaking with fear” after encountering the alleged beast in a backyard, witnesses said. Others, however, thought that even if these beasts were real, they wouldn’t be around for long — given the rough reputation of northeast Ohio. “That boy is not going to make it past Youngstown,” one person said. READ MORE

Our Visit With The Soul Trap At The 2025 Great Florida Bigfoot Conference Was Epic!

Look who came to visit us at the 2025 Great Florida Bigfoot Conference. We sit down with Geoffrey Grider of Now The End Begins and discuss everything from cryptids in the swamp to draining the swamp with a little bit of tariff talk along the way.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB