” How military leaders have let us down ”

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Armed Forces Journal:

string(29) ” Truth, lies and Afghanistan ”

By LT. COL. DANIEL L. DAVIS

string(29) ” By LT. COL. DANIEL L. DAVIS ” By LT. COL. DANIEL L. DAVIS

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I spent last year in Afghanistan, visiting and talking with U.S. troops and their Afghan partners. My duties with the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force took me into every significant area where our soldiers engage the enemy. Over the course of 12 months, I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops in Kandahar, Kunar, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Kunduz, Balkh, Nangarhar and other provinces.

What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.

Entering this deployment, I was sincerely hoping to learn that the claims were true: that conditions in Afghanistan were improving, that the local government and military were progressing toward self-sufficiency. I did not need to witness dramatic improvements to be reassured, but merely hoped to see evidence of positive trends, to see companies or battalions produce even minimal but sustainable progress.

Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.

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About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

One Reply to “” How military leaders have let us down ””

  1. 22-year-old Marine killed by Afghan soldier in southwest Afghanistan last month in previously undisclosed case – @APStory

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    “A U.S. official said Friday that talks with the Afghan government about night raids by NATO troops are going ahead despite the alleged killing spree by a U.S. soldier and a combative statement from the Afghan president”link

    Lawyer: Afghan suspect’s friend had leg blown off

    via MSNBC:

    “Browne told The Associated Press that his client saw his friend’s leg blown off the day before the rampage. Browne said that according to his client’s family, he was standing next to another U.S. soldier when that soldier was gravely injured.” . . . “Sources have told NBC News that he enlisted soon after 9/11, trained as a sniper and was based at Joint Base Lewis McChord, about an hour south of Seattle. He served three tours in Iraq.”. . .”He arrived in Afghanistan in December and was assigned to a village stability operation.“

    via twitter: Lawyer for US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians tells the @todayshow that the case is more political than legal – @NBCNews