[Blue Scourge]

A lot of people aren't going to like this...but it is as good as gospel for most people in the US military...

[reasonisfaith]

The real question here is how many “soldiers,” or “veterans” or otherwise hawkish-appearing but leftist-sympathizing and traitorous individuals can the leftist media dig up, and will this ruse last long enough to scam any electoral wins for the democrats?

[trek]

Depressing, but a very good read. Thanks for posting it.

[reasonisfaith]

These posts might help the confusion.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1595269/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1595200/posts

[Dilbert56]

How about dismantling some failing government entitlement programs rather than raising taxes. Raising taxes will hurt the economy and the government will collect less money, not more.

[Theresawithanh]

What are the conditions for victory? When is the war over? When can we go home? This is a forever war."

We are fighting an enemy who is in it until the last "infidel", that'd be you and me, is dead or converts to Islam.

[Semperfi.Ex.USMC]

AQ is still out there and they still have supporters. It really doesn't matter what any of these politicians say--we are stuck here. The minute we leave things will start to fall apart.

When do you think the locals will be in a position to take care of themselves? What can we (US military)do to support them until then?

No politician has a dog in this fight. Honestly, of this is such a noble cause why don't the children of these politicians join the Army? Only we here and our people back home are sacrificing in this war. For anyone else, this war is just a story on the evening news." We have 12 conditions we must meet before we are allowed to do anything useful.

This is the the same as the Vietnam war. The politicians created the war, protected their friends and family and restricted our rules of engagement. In the end, they made the decision to withdraw. Sound familiar?.

"How about everyone who "Supports the Troops" volunteer for a nice tax increase to pay for the war? How about a military pay raise? Aren't we worth it? How about some better equipment? How about giving every returning vet a good JOB?"

Well said and I totally agree

Semper fi

[FairOpinion]

Thanks for the excellent insights.

[blam]

Good post, thanks.

[lonestar67]

I appreciate this info though I completely disagree with it.

It is difficult for me to see the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as anything short of monumental successes.

I actually think the Taliban and Saddam were bad.

I recognize that individuals still sympathize with such views but it seems that conditions favor the US in a massive way.

We have pacified Afghanistan in a way the Soviets never could even after a decade of effort.

Iraq has three elections and a US trained military force larger than our current 140,000 plus ground forces. All of this is done in less than 3 years.

Is there a US war that has been more successful than these two?

I question whether WWII was as successful. Death rates of civilians, combatants, etc. are all positive relative to previous wars and better in terms of pre-post war condition comparisons.

I think it is the nay sayers who live in a bubble.

[Marine_Uncle]

I would respect the soldiers view points based on their particular set of experiences within the AOR they are involved.
As some have commented, not all soldiers, airmen, aviators, and Marines would take the views presented here. That does not mean this soldier is not right or wrong. Their particular experiences and observations lead them to most likely give as accurate an answer as they could.
One could interview say a Marine in al Anbar region of Iraq and get a totally different opinon on the Iraqi SASO, where high success rates are found in decimating the al Qaeda and local insurents.
Most hear that are following closely the two fronts, using many sources to compare and then make conclusions would have have to differ on the Iraqi, issue, due to the clear after action battle reports we see that show the insurgency is crumbling.
All with a little knowledge can see the Afghanistan and required Pakistan involvement is a different beast at present due to many well defined criteria that differ from the Iraqi front. For one example the geographic land features and mix of cultures. Iraq understands nationalized government, Afganistan does not for the most part as this soldier indicated. Few would argue on that point. The remote/isolated tribal cultures dictact to a high degree in how one must conduct a counter-insurgency war. Many of the examples this soldier provides have been rehashed in frequency at this FR.
As my email to you indicated I am past due for sack time, so I do not feel up to a long disertation into major differences between how we have to fight in Iraq verse Afganistan, and quite frankly could not do any where as well as some other responders.
However. It should be clear to all, that the conditions we have to work with in Afganistan are in many ways different then they are in Iraq. Many of the Afgans (across cultural and religious boundaries) are simply a different mix then found in the much more modernized Iraq. One must deal differently with them. To perhaps a large degree the way some of the really isolated bedeune Arab tribes in the western Syrian desert regions of Al Anbar Iraq, must be treated.
At any rate I gotta hit the sack. Let us hope our brave soldiers and Marines in Afganistan get proper MOs to minimize their casualties, and at the same time continue to be able to take the fight to the jihadist. It will take longer then the Iraqi situation.

[SUSSA]

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[SUSSA]

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