I'm sorry, but I see this as so much balderdash. We elected to back off in April of last year. That wasn't a defeat.
We went back in during the winter and destroyed the enemy. That was clearly a victory.
This isn't to say that more battles will definately not be fought there. It is to saw we took one pass and kicked ass later on. Only God knows the future, but this is one American who can recognize a victory when he sees one.
The battle in late 2004 in Fallujah was a route for our side.
I wish folks would quit graying out the victories, and playing up the terrorist myths.
When we elected to back off in April, the enemy interpreted that decision as weakness. Since we won all of the tactical skirmishes, we thought we won the battle. But the enemy was left alive and in possession of the territory in dispute, and recognized that he had won a strategic victory.
We went back in during the winter and destroyed the enemy. That was clearly a victory. The battle in late 2004 in Fallujah was a route for our side. I wish folks would quit graying out the victories, and playing up the terrorist myths.
That was a different battle with a different objective and a different outcome. We recognized that we had handed the enemy a strategic victory back in April, and corrected the record. Terrorist myths are encouraged by weakness, and blotted out on the battlefield in victories like Fallujah II. Now we need more Fallujahs, and we must follow through and make sure that the tactical success translates into strategic victory.