2,388 -- That's the number of American mothers who lost their sons in Afghanistan.
One of the first things taught in the Special Forces Officers Course was that the ultimate weapon is not the atomic bomb. It is the guerilla -- small, agile, and capable of a thousand pin-pricks. In order to win the war, conventional forces must win battles. In order to win the war, guerilla forces must not lose battles. Guerillas can just run away and live to fight another day. It is much cheaper to maintain guerilla forces for long periods, compared to the cost of maintaining conventional forces for long periods. It has been sixteen years already in Afghanistan at a cost way over a trillion dollars.
4,497 -- That's the number of American mothers who lost their sons in Iraq.
Maybe, there is some reason to believe we can "win" a war with conventional forces, where the conventional forces of Britain and the Soviet Union were defeated. I have not heard that reason yet.
58,226 -- That's the number of American mothers who lost their sons in Vietnam.
No president wants to accept the loss of a war during their watch, and I understand that. At some point, however, accepting the obvious is better than breaking the hearts of any more mothers.
One of the first things taught in the Special Forces Officers Course was that the ultimate weapon is not the atomic bomb. It is the guerilla -- small, agile, and capable of a thousand pin-pricks. In order to win the war, conventional forces must win battles. In order to win the war, guerilla forces must not lose battles. Guerillas can just run away and live to fight another day. It is much cheaper to maintain guerilla forces for long periods, compared to the cost of maintaining conventional forces for long periods. It has been sixteen years already in Afghanistan at a cost way over a trillion dollars.
4,497 -- That's the number of American mothers who lost their sons in Iraq.
Maybe, there is some reason to believe we can "win" a war with conventional forces, where the conventional forces of Britain and the Soviet Union were defeated. I have not heard that reason yet.
58,226 -- That's the number of American mothers who lost their sons in Vietnam.
No president wants to accept the loss of a war during their watch, and I understand that. At some point, however, accepting the obvious is better than breaking the hearts of any more mothers.
