What are we doing in Afgahnistan

WHAT ARE WE DOING IN AFGHANISTAN?


What are we doing in Afghanistan? Why does our country continue to fight wars with one hand tied behind our back? Why do we try and fight limited wars, when our past experience tells us that limited wars are not successful? By now we should have learned the lessons of Korea, Vietnam, and the 1st Gulf War, that limited war has only delivered us the loss of young American lives and treasure without victory.

Last week eight soldiers were killed in Afghanistan as they were overrun by the enemy … they were simply out-numbered. We’ve asked our military to “do more with less” and still comply with highly restrictive rules of engagement … this has put them and coalition soldiers in a vulnerable position. They have to preserve their lives and provide for their safety, all while worrying about media reaction to their actions and the possibility of facing criminal charges for defending and protecting themselves. For reasons that I don’t understand, General McChrystal’s request for reinforcements has been met with reluctance and indecision by the President.

We have now been fighting in Afghanistan on the cheap for eight years. I’ve been reading the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL from Texas. He tells about an operation in which a team of four (that’s right, four) Navy SEALs are sent on that ends up being jeopardized because they are stumbled upon by some unarmed, unsuspecting sheep herders. The SEALs were observing a village for a high profile leader when they were found. Realizing the rules of engagement do not allow the killing of unarmed civilians (even if they are suspected to be the enemy), they made a decision that day that cost three of them their lives because they were devoted to the cause of upholding their honor over preserving their lives. They knew the best military option they had that day was to kill the sheep herders to protect their concealment … but they did not … they let them go. They knew that once word got back that unarmed civilians were killed, the media would vilify them and that they would be charged as murderers. They knew they were not murderers, but they also knew that they left themselves exposed by letting them go. You’ll have to read the book to get the rest of the story, but these four men were sent out to do an impossible mission without a guaranteed plan of extraction and too few men. They were attacked by a group of more than one hundred … maybe just one more SEAL may have spotted the sheep herders before they ever got too close. They fought for their lives valiantly while they were wounded and dying. Mr. Luttrell, by God’s grace, survived and has now told their story.

The day that we started bombing in Afghanistan is still fresh in my mind because it happened on the same day that we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday (October 8th ) … she just turned nine years old. We are still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, but now we will not call it a war on terror even though we have our military personnel fighting and dying. I wonder if they still think we are at war. I watched the 60 Minutes interview with General McChrystal and was left bewildered and confused. He spoke about sharing and trusting and not showing an aggressive face to a people whose culture pays close attention to symbolism. He said that we have to show that we trust and respect them. Trust and respect has to be earned by those that have given aid and shelter to a movement that is trying to kill you and me. I am not an expert in foreign affairs or the science of war, but something just does not seem right with me about how we are doing things in Afghanistan.


There you have it.
Pass it on if you like, or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie