Afghanistan

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Listening to the debate between Clinton and Trump, I realized that some folks have already forgotten what really happened during the Iraq War. It ended just a few years ago, yet, there are some serious mis-understandings about it. For one thing, Donald Trump blames the Obama administration for leaving Iraq in a vacuum. Yes, when…

That is the thing about Gold Star families. They are vulnerable in ways the rest of us are not. I heard a researcher say a couple of months ago that he believed we experience high rates of PTSD because our society here at home does not understand what we have gone through. He mentioned that…

Retired GEN John Allen spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week. He has since explained that he felt he had to speak up because Donald Trump advocates that the military violate the recognized rules of war. See ABC news report. Yes, there are what we call “rules of war.” One of those rules…

Words cannot express how offensive I find Donald Trump’s remarks. He was speaking about Khizr Khan, the father of Capt. Khan. Twenty-seven year old Capt. Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004 while serving in the U.S. Army. The father, Khizr Khan gave an emotional speech about his son at the Democratic National Convention. During…

I find iDonald Trump’s comments about has said about us in Iraq. He has apparently said at least twice that U.S. soldiers were stealing money while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He even mentioned the soldiers who did indeed travel around the country carrying cash. “How stupid are we,” he joked? See Politico report.…

One of the frightening things about Donald Trump is his tendency to shoot from the hip. He makes decisions, important policy decisions based on unfounded assumptions. One policy matter with which I am familiar is the military. Some months ago, he said a couple of times that he would insist that the military engage in…

So, documents have been released about Bowe Begddahl. Those documents shed light on the troubled young man. He tried to join the French Foreign Legion. He grew up in a regimented home. He was home schooled. He had limited contact with girls until he was 16 or 17. His father, not a veteran, but still…

While we rush around searching for last minute Christmas presents and securing the last of the tamales, some few Americans are still fighting their wars. They fight their wars right here in San Antonio at the excellent Army hospital at Ft. Sam Houston. Gunnery Sergeant Eden Pearl was such a warrior. On a patrol in…

Now, they want Bowe Bergdahl to face a general court martial. The investigating officer had recommended a special court-martial instead. The level of punishment is higher at the general court-martial level. The “convening authority” (i.e., the general responsible for the investigation) overruled his investigating officer. The general appointed the investigating officer, so normally, the general…

In times of war or fear, we turn to our baser instincts. Unfortunately, lately that means many Americans blame all Moslems for the acts of a few. As I have mentioned here before, my experience is different than many Americans. I had the privilege of serving in Iraq with some wonderful persons who happened to…