The White House’s February 13, 2026 statement (Mrs. Trump’s remarks) says only that U.S. Army Special Forces “carried out the successful mission in Venezuela to bring Nicolas Maduro to justice.” It does not provide operational details (dates, unit names, casualty figures, or the mission’s codename); those specifics have been released in separate Pentagon and Justice Department statements and news reporting, not in this White House remarks page.
Yes. U.S. officials publicly confirmed Nicolás Maduro was captured and brought into U.S. custody after the January 3–4, 2026 operation; he was brought to New York and arraigned on federal drug- and narco‑terrorism-related charges. Confirmation appears in administration statements, Department of Justice filings (unsealed indictment), and widespread reporting by major outlets.
Pope Army Airfield is a military airfield on Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) in North Carolina used for airlift and air operations supporting airborne and special-operations units; it supports Army aviation, the 18th Airborne Corps/82nd Airborne, and transient fixed‑wing and rotary aircraft operating into Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty.
Fort Bragg (Fort Liberty) is one of the Army’s largest installations and a major hub for U.S. global power projection; it hosts XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Special Operations Command elements (including Army Special Forces and airborne units), as well as the 82nd Airborne Division and multiple special‑operations and airborne commands.
“Love letters” to deployed service members are a longstanding military family tradition—letters, postcards, and later parcels have been used since the Revolutionary War through World War I/II and Vietnam to sustain morale. Historians and museums document thousands of personal wartime letters (e.g., Revolutionary-era soldier correspondence, World War II letter‑writing drives), which the First Lady invoked as symbolic of patriotism and family ties.
When the First Lady addresses military communities she is acting in an official, ceremonial/representational role for the White House (not a policymaking or chain‑of‑command military role). Such appearances honor service members and families, promote White House initiatives, and support morale; they are public/diplomatic, not operational military actions.