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I seldom read or watch the “news”, and seldom believe what I hear or read when I do. But an email from a friend in SWA gives me hope:
The military is grappling with accomplishing something that we don't train for, that we rarely do, and that is, frankly, confusing to us - wrapping up the mission. We train on how to initiate action, how to maintain continuity, progress, change course, and all kinds of things - but simply "stop" doing what we do is not in our vocabulary. I've asked who the next "enduring" point of contact is for projects - and I've received emails simply saying "no one." It's a novel experience.
A lot of people here are in denial - the mission is really ending? Nobody seems to be able to just let go - everyone is driving hard to the very last day, minute, second.
This may be the real thing.
* Sunrise over the Aral Sea.
2 comments:
That's what victory looks like. This was always what we intended to do from the start and we should have done it years ago. If we had a president who could take a little time out from vacations and fundraising and campaigning to care about such things.
I don't think the lack of an enduring focal point or point of contact is encouraging.
The transition from military ops to civilian strikes me as an important one, one that should be planned for and executed. For military bubbas to just drop what they're doing and walk away strikes me as abrupt, if not counterproductive.
That said, I'm happy we're leaving. Props to Mr. Obama for having the sac to just say "we're done".
The illuminating part of it all is how apoplectic the Republican prez candidates are over it. If they had their way, we'd be over there forever and ever without end.
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