Today feels like the morning after the Laettner game. Again.
It’ll pass, I suppose, or maybe it won’t completely, but it is a fact that what is done is done and time only goes in one direction. General Storm used to say, “I have no TIME for the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. They will get you every time.”
I think about Generals Storm and Youngman, who guided us through the early stages of this war, after having had this same day on theirs that ended in 75. Both of these men invested in this war as they were the last, on the ground in the Nam, and responsibility to build a force for the Stan. I don’t pretend to know how deeply the feel about it, but I do know that each was perfect in both the preparation, and the sense of community that needed to be generated afterwards. Youngman to toughen us up for the fight, and Storm to keep us together during the dark days; the selection and placement of both men at different times must have been divinely inspired. I am alive to grieve about this one, and that is enough for me. Thanks to them. When the shouldas start criticizing Generals, think about what those two did.
I have no time for shoulda, coulda, wouldas, either. I won’t be one. Let’s look to the future, and see to ourselves, and know this will pass. With that, I do have some observations about where we are and what is next which is not pleasant, if you will pardon such a thing in advance.
I don’t think we can maintain the title of “humanitarians”, or “guardians of the free world”, anymore. Sending a pallet load of water to Haiti seems a little weak to me, after we have abandoned so many to their fate. Google the phrase “Taliban atrocities” and you’ll have plenty to read. Even CNN is covering it.
Those who said “We should have been out, just not this way”, convey a nice comfortable notion which isn’t realistic. Placing the blame on the Afghan outgoing government is too easy to do as well. They were never going to fight for their own people, they were fighting for us. They saw that as being better than themselves, maybe, and nobler likely. Definitely more lucrative. For reasons ideological or corrupt, to say that they were self-sufficient is not correct, or that they “shoulda”.
We needed them to fight for us, and we needed that piece of ground, such as it was. After 9/11 the reason that this proud nation went to war there wasn’t payback, as much as standing up to a rouge nation with global terrorist ties, in an austere and inaccessible location, hostile to the American way of life, who used the culmination of those circumstances to perpetuate violence against American Citizens, and undermine US national security interests. Now, we have a rouge nation with global terrorist ties, in an austere and inaccessible location, MORE hostile to the American way of life, with US arms and equipment that we’ve been pumping in there for 20 years, who will certainly use the culmination of those circumstances to perpetuate violence against American Citizens, and undermine national security interests. I am not saying “shoulda” here, rather we need to prepare ourselves for the future, and whatever comes next.
Will that day be called something else seemingly 9/11 random like 3/23? Or something that means something to them- 6/14? 7/4? Or 1/5? Maybe so. My experience tells me that the Taliban do like to act out on anniversary dates.
To the President’s credit, he owned it. I see why the left love him so much. If he gets an A for responsibility, maybe he doesn’t get such a good grade for judgment, based upon what I said above. But ownership of whatever notion that the left dreams up, being the punching bag for their foolishness, is exactly what they expected from him, and they got it in volumes. If he took responsibility for my lunacy I would love him too. Rather like taking ownership of the bottom floor of a second story outhouse…..but, again- it was clear that he did what he believed was right. The images will haunt his legacy, and will also haunt ours right along with it. A prayer for him is a prayer for us, so do that. I am.
There are those in the world that think we should go back, and I’m not one. If we did, we wouldn’t be trusted, and who could blame the Afghans- or the world- at this point. It was difficult, nearly impossible task that we took on, as the reform of such a different society to US standards is only accomplished generationally, so the tour the next time would be 30 years and not 20. I’d sign on for 10 more, but I don’t 30 is feasible. Most of all, the group that wants us back the most is the Taliban, and would welcome us back for 30 years- trusting that within those 30 years some of the shoulda, coulda, wouldas, would get us every time.