There are devices on the market that will turn the written word into the spoken word. Because I have lost the ability to read, I have one of those devices. On Sundays Miss Chicka makes it a point for me to read the op ed pieces in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Last Sunday I noted that the op ed pieces all were dated November 8th. The thought struck me that this was a familiar date but I could not remember why.
After a search of my mind, what is left of it, it developed that in 1945 the United States Army gave me an honorable discharge on that day. I had left my home at 5 AM in anticipation of this great event, with the thought that the ceremony would be completed by about 12 noon or 1 PM. But that is not the way the United States Army saw it. During the meetings with the persons who were supposed to give me my discharge paper, I was harangued about rejoining the Army. When I made it clear that I had no intention of doing that, they then shifted to my joining the Ready Reserve or the National Guard. Again I told them that my answer was no. As a matter of fact, I do not now even belong to the Veterans of Foreign Wars or to the American Legion. I had had enough of war and was ready to go home.
Throughout these diatribes, there were references to whether I was a patriot or not. I told the people at the discharge center that they could read my papers and see that I enlisted and that I served honorably. Finally, about 7 or 8 PM, the “ruptured duck” was sewed on my uniform and I was turned loose. The “ruptured duck” is what the soldiers called the symbol sewn above the left chest pocket on the uniform which designates that man as a former soldier. So finally, after a much prolonged session, I was free to go and for the last 64 years, I have been simply a former serviceman.
All of this came into focus now that we are engaged in a prolonged debate about how many troops we should send to Afghanistan. The general in charge of the war in Afghanistan is named McCrystal. He apparently is asking for an additional 40,000 troops to join his forces there. As it now stands, we have 68,000 military personnel in Afghanistan and this would bring us to more than 100,000.
There are other generals who are contending that McCrystal’s demands are reasonable and that we should proceed forthwith to put the 40,000 men on airplanes and send them to Afghanistan. As an old soldier with no particular expertise in fighting guerillas, I must offer the following observation. I have been a student of world affairs for the better part of 80 years. During that time, I have never heard of a general saying that he had too many troops or that only one or two more would be helpful. Generals always talk in terms of large numbers, which I suppose will help them when they go to write their memoirs of the battles they have fought.
But 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan might be more than we can afford. The President has spent four or five weeks considering the proposition here and has been accused of dithering by former Vice President Cheney. The “dithering” charge is of no consequence to me but I simply hope that in the end he makes the proper decision.
If my numbers are correct, that will give us 108,000 people in Afghanistan plus the 125 or 130,000 left in Iraq. Again, this is a tremendous strain not only on the military but also upon our economic system.
Very unfortunately, McCrystal and other generals have been making remarks to the press that are framed to box the President in. If I may say so, those generals ought to be relieved of their responsibility and sent packing immediately. The more that I consider the cost in lives and treasure from the United States government, the less enthusiastic I am about investing one more life or one more dollar in Afghanistan.
The fact of the matter is that Afghanistan is a tribal society. They have never responded to a central government in their capital of Kabul. Even less would the Afghans be expected to respond to their government if they concluded that it was elected by fraud. There are all sorts of reasons to believe that fraud was committed in the recent elections in Afghanistan and that their government is corrupt. According to The New York Times, the President’s brother is hip deep in the drug trade. President Karzai has promised to reform but this is probably the tenth time that he has made that promise.
The generals of the United States Army have had their say and now I believe that it is high time we turn to other voices who may know a good bit more about the situation than the generals do. One of those voices is John Burns, the bureau chief of The New York Times in London. For several years during the height of the hostilities in Iraq, John Burns was the bureau chief in Baghdad. If there is any one man who knows the Arab mind, I would suggest that it is probably John Burns. I would suggest that the President interview John Burns and consider what he has to say. Burns has said that until a government takes over in Afghanistan that is free of fraud and corruption, there is no hope. We are a long way from having an honest administration to head the Afghan people.
Another person that I would suggest the President interview would be Richard Engel of the National Broadcasting Corporation. Engel has spent many years in the Middle East and should know a good bit more than the generals do. Obviously I do not want the President to base his decision with respect to Afghanistan solely on the advice of his generals. Generals can be wrong. When their forecasts turn out to be erroneous, the price paid by our troops is horrendous.
As you can see, I was never a hawk on the war in Afghanistan. If the President were to interview me, I believe I would tell him that Afghanistan is not worth the blood and treasure that it would require to restore stability to that part of the world. An independent observer said recently that he believed it would take perhaps 650 to 700,000 troops to stabilize Afghanistan. Based on our experience in Iraq, I believe that this observer has something there.
Well, as you can see, I have been at liberty to offer opinions on military matters for 64 years. Unfortunately, our Commander-in-Chief has never asked me for my opinions. But that will not prevent me from reaching conclusions that are not always accepted by the general staff of the United States Army. But if I am ever asked about my opinions on Afghanistan, I will tell Mr. Obama to please arrange interviews with John Burns and Richard Engel. I believe that he will find it very rewarding and he can put the charge of dithering to rest. It seems to me that the sooner we wind this war down, the better it will be for this country.
E. E. CARR
November 18, 2009
Essay 420
Postscript: This essay was composed several weeks in advance of the President’s speech this past week. In that speech, the President attempted to explain the prospects for the war in Afghanistan. I must say that as much as I care for Mr. Obama, his speech has not caused me to change my mind about investing one more life or one more dollar in that tribal society.
EEC
12-5-09
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Kevin’s commentary: There are times when the United States is needed as the world’s policeman. There are times when it is not needed but fills that role anyway. Afghanistan falls into the latter category. It’s time to leave. I believe the current plan is for the complete removal of all U.S. troops by the end of this year, 2014. Here’s hoping.