The official Sebastian Junger community
NY Times Op-ED - Leaving Korengal Valley
So am I to understand that, after all that was invested in the Korengal Valley position(s), Command decided to evacuate the position? Doesn't this remind anyone of Khe San? Or any number of hills that were fought over and left during the Viet Nam War?
While I can accept the argument that the Afghanistan military action is not entirely like the Viet Nam experience, it certainly has its parallels...the biggest one, to me, is how the higher command elements don't seem to get it...hearts and minds are not won through warfare...fear and subservience, yes. The bravery of the men described in Mr. Junger's book is indisputable, but...just the same as for the Grunts in Viet Nam...they must yearn for someone to tell them what it all is for...someone to truthfully explain what will be accomplished by all their sacrifice. They are all that is noble in these situations; those who commit our military to these adventures should be investigated by an open public forum so that we can see exactly who is gaining what from such things. All that went down in Viet Nam sure as hell did not do much good and, I am afraid, 20 years from now, we will look at this war as having accomplished not much, either. I hope people are reading Neil Sheehan's as well as Col. Hackworth's books. They may say cancer killed Hack, but I think he died of a broken heart.
And I think Mr. Sheehan would say that someone has polished up the lie.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Larry Ash on -
The Afghan and Viet conflicts are very very (too) similar. Higher (career) command doesn't want to get it. Read (or reread) McNamara's "In Retrospect".
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Permalink Reply by Peter Haberfehlner on
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I think it is the same in most organisations (be it military or civil organisations): The commanders (politicians- people in charge) never realize what happens "on the ground". They (in this case Obama, Clinton + team of advisors) mostly don´t take the effort of reading Jungers´ book or of watching his documentary "Restrepo", or of talking to the "people on the ground". Junger in contrary took all the effort and risked his own life to get an insight-view. But most oft the well paid ministers, experts, advisors... never know, what really happens "on the ground". Even in the office, where I worked (asylum-office) our chefs (Minister of interior and advisors) knew - as far as I could judge- almost nothing about our "work on the ground", which was interviewing the refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Chechnia, Kosovo, Belorussia etc. and weighing, if their acount was credible or if it was mostly a lie. No one of our chefs ever took the effort of watching these asylum-interviews, we were leading every day. As a consequence our chefs had no insight in our "work on the ground." I thind this "lack of information" exists in most hierarchical organisations. So my advice would be, that all these ministers and people in charge should listen more closely to the "people on the ground" (be it the "ordinary soldiers", or the "ordinary officers"... (finally sorry for my not so perfect English- I am from Austria)
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Redick on -
With talk now of a long term presence in Afghanistan via bases it appears the higher ups realize its not a smash n grab of the hearts and minds there.But as long as the borders are porous there will always be insurgents coming over the mountains to stir up trouble in Afghanistan.
Teleconferencing Generals do not appear to have accurate view of "theatre awareness" and need to listen more to the troops who dealing every day with operations on the ground.
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