Leaving Afghanistan sucks, but it’s also the right thing and took courage.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Not Einstein

What would you change about the following narrative?

1. 9/11 attack on the US from an Afghanistan-based terrorist group
2. Invades Afghanistan, topple the government, and occupy with an international security force
3. Provide security, promote democracy, invest in education and infrastructure
4. Keep nation building
5. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
6. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
7. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
8. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
9. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
10. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
11. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
12. Kill Osama Bin Laden
13. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
14. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
15. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
16. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
17. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
18. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
19. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
20. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
21. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
22. Keep nation building for another year, more dead

It’s not a great story, is it?

It’s unfortunate and ugly, but it was time to go. Would another year of nation building have helped? Were things getting any better?

I don’t doubt the good intentions of the war, and I don’t doubt the skill and courage of the brave people who fought it. I thank our soldiers for their service and give them my utmost admiration for sticking faithfully to the mission despite it’s impossible challenges. 🇺🇸

I hate that the ugly Taliban is taking back over, but their deeds are between them and their own god now. The US Army is out of that equation.

You can’t stay in Afghanistan forever.

War Machine

Here’s a clip from a pretty relevant movie that came out 4 years ago about a war that had already been going on for 12 years. Despite some serious overacting by Brad Pitt, it’s a pretty damned good movie and dead on. It shows a good and capable man trying to win an impossible war.