Tuesday, January 30, 2007

In Answer To A Constant Milblogger Complaint.....

.....although I am not a member of the military, so I am not technically a Milblogger. However, preferential treatment is given to military and veterans in applying for the "Rotation". Anyway, this is nonsense. On to the story. Millbloggers and others who support the war are commonly heard to bemoan the lack of "Good News" from the MSM (mainstream media). I tend to just go look for my own. Tonight I found it over at Op-For. Lt Col P has a great Q&A with Lt. Col. Kurt Wheeler, USMC.
I have been privileged to interview more than 300 Marines, soldiers and sailors all across the AO and I see a real trend in the perspectives they have shared. #1, nearly all see steady (sometimes dramatic) progress. Everyone says the key word is patience. You don't win a counterinsurgency in 3 years. This will take time. Standing up an army and a police force in the middle of a war is an impossible task, but our transition teams are doing the impossible every day. The center of gravity here is the Iraqi people and young corporal squad leaders are winning the grudging respect and trust of the people in their AO everyday via their courage, temperance and determination to do the right thing.
Head on over and read it.

No comments: