It seems it always comes down to the grunts.
It seems it always comes down to the grunts.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect. -- Woody Hayes
MMC (12-12-2021)
Captdon (12-13-2021)
Peter1469 (12-12-2021)
Honestly, I think the bigger problem is the neoliberal/neoconservative types who think they can win hearts and minds, coupled with the desire to fight only limited wars.
The Taliban were tough fighters, but they had no meaningful artillery, air power, sophisticated supply chain logistics, or intelligence. Yet, they still schooled a United States who thought it was going to win on propaganda and butter, and therefore gave up tactical advantage as a matter of routine, commanded from 1-star up to 4-star officers, and our politicians.
I mean, if the enemy is in Pakistan, and to the extent the enemy IS Pakistan, you cannot continue to listen to your State Department and intelligence agencies tell you that they can cultivate sources, etc. and turn the advantage to the US--especially, when they are doings like promoting homosexual and transgender rights in Muslim countries.
I'm reading American Caesar, and I'm almost done. It makes me think we're lucky to have won WWII--and probably only, because we allied with the Soviet Union. Once we were their adversaries, the communists in our own government proved to be a bigger problem than enemies on the ground.