Sunday, October 08, 2006
LETTER FROM IRAQ
If you read nothing else regarding the war today, read this, a letter from a young Marine officer serving in al Anbar province in Iraq. Given that it cuts the legs out from under positions taken by both knee-jerk supporters and knee-jerk opponents of current U.S. policy in Iraq, I find it highly credible. And it's wonderfully well-written.
One thing struck a chord with something I was thinking last week:
All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here — all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a band of brothers who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps. [emphasis added.] I was thinking that, for all the blood and pain and cost, Iraq is serving as a very valuable school for our officer corps. The war will go on for at least a generation. The kids my young associates have been having these past few years will, when they grow up into young adults, be serving under colonels and generals who served as lieutenents and captains in Iraq. That will ensure that we'll still have the best fighting force in the world, long after the horrors of 2006 have past.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 12:05 PM
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