A Nod To The Gods

I question our ongoing military presence in Afghanistan but I defer my skepticism to people who have much to lose yet back the war regardless of the potential personal price.

I have seen the devastation of war. I have witnessed the final moments of young men in distant lands, far from all they love and hold dear. I have watched my daughter deploy to combat in Afghanistan and soon might my son. I recognize the personal courage required to make difficult decisions. I know the cost of war. More importantly, I know the price of freedom._ National security advisor retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg

The general and I have something in common: We’ve got skin in the game. His son the lieutenant, like my son the sergeant, is on the “point of the spear,” and our sons actually know each other. When the general talks about “the price of freedom,” it’s not idle rhetoric.  Here…

Gen. Kellogg’s description of Trump’s policy deserves quoting:

We do not seek territorial conquest or occupation. We do not intend to create a government after our own image. We will not set arbitrary timelines. We will use our integrated military, political, and economic efforts to promote stability in the region. We will demand that nations ultimately provide for their own security. Those that harbor terrorist networks must eliminate them.
We will fight those that threaten us wherever they may be. We will fight them at night, in the day, in their supposed sanctuaries. We will give them no rest nor will we grow weary.