The Buck Never Stopped

Veterans are pissed-off. You should be too.

Senseless. Unnecessary. Demoralizing.

These thoughts and a flood of other raging emotions are echoing in the wake of a bad week of withdrawal from Afghanistan - now punctuated by the heinous murder of more American troops and over a hundred innocent civilians. Veterans’ blogs, podcasts, radio, websites and other postings are erupting over the past 48-hours. As they should be. Some of the networks have honored their thoughts, hopefully more will accommodate. ?

Our Commander in Chief is confused, hesitant and disoriented. How can leadership and direction from the oval office be perceived as cogent and direct? The President cannot recollect if something occurred 48 or 96 hours ago. Yesterday, he tried to connect the death of his son by disease to the murder of our troops in a combat zone. For what, sympathy? The hesitancy from the briefing podiums at DoD and DoS is startling – they seem to want to say something they’ve been warned not to say. And a White House Press Conference allowed an uninterrupted and detailed question today about the President’s misbehaving dog. ?

Come on, America!

Most Americans understand that the military commanders on the ground are the best informed and most capable decision-makers leading the fight. This is true. And make no mistake, we are still engaged in a fight. Time and space are real and fluid here – lives are constantly at stake. Critical thinking and sharp reaction times matter. So do proactive security measures and our ability to fight, if necessary. Our intelligence community and the assets they employ are second to none. And these commanders have been fighting this enemy for most of their careers. So, what led to this?

Many things, and those who served in Afghanistan, our Veterans, know them well.?

For starters, a weak, unstable infrastructure led by a feeble Afghan government which lacked staying power - and we put them in place. Just as we trained, financed and coddled the Afghan military for the past two decades. The government solution was never going to clear the hurdles of corruption inherent in most things Afghanistan, which partially explains Ghani immediately fleeing to the UAE. The Taliban explains the rest. This was predictable.

And their military? Ask any US Veteran, and some seasoned active duty how many military schools they attended in their career, and how precise an experience they witnessed. Then ask the same group if they ever served as an instructor at one of our military schools, and what the process entailed.

It takes decades, perhaps a solid three or more to have an experience-base cadre knowledgeable enough (from scratch) to properly recruit, train, sustain, further educate, and curate materials and an eco-system for a fighting force. Even then, it is a deliberate, ongoing process of professional military education. Those of us who have taught and led in this environment know the care and precision that goes into formal schools and the value they inject in qualifying a fighting force, while sharpening their tactical and technical proficiency. Active-duty leadership is often consulted in course content review boards, programs of instruction are fastidiously reviewed, and structure is created for intermediate, career and top-level instruction in both the enlisted and officer ranks of all services. Centers of excellence are established, as are warfighting laboratories where those coming off combat tours are brought in to teach the latest tactics, techniques and procedures to those that will carry the torch forward. This is how a professional military trains and operates.??????????

All of this, however, is predicated on a solid, refined recruiting process, where candidates are thoroughly vetted, tested, assessed and subsequently passed through for training or failed for lack of qualification. This is one of the primary reasons for the utter failure of the recent Afghan military, as this critical process was non-existent. US forces often complained their Afghan counterparts were poorly educated, if at all, largely illiterate, did not know rudimentary things like their colors, and many were struggling with addiction. Many were former criminals susceptible to bribes and corruption, or simply feared retribution from the Taliban. So, they quit en masse, just as their President did, leaving behind a war chest of weaponry and assets that may well be used against them soon. This too, was predictable.

The US Veteran community, et al, saw this coming, often demanding accountability when multiple senior US officials lauded the capability of the supposed 350,000-member fighting force. In actuality, it was a third smaller, a hollow, deeply flawed force, rife with ineptitude, nepotism, incapable of fighting on its own.

Digital Dunkirk

The corps of Afghan interpreters and supporters, however, were of a different ilk. Highly vetted, exceptionally driven, brave, democratic patriots that truly wanted to see their country improve. Veterans’ groups have been engaged all week working to free them, refusing to accept defeat and have been aggressively fighting for these mission essential personnel who have saved thousands of American lives. Make the time to read about the efforts of Jon Reed, Alicia Hanf, Junaid Lughmani, Matt Hovsepian, Scott Mann & OperationRecovery.org, The Pineapple Express, Paul Crespo, Russ Parker, Tom Schueman, Dustin Ivers, Pete Kiernan, Caleb Taylor, Andrew Vernon, Matt Zeller, Mike Wilson, Jen Wilson, Elliot Ackerman and countless others. A special nod to Cory Mills of PACEM and Chad Robichaux with The Mighty Oaks Foundation. Patriots fighting for patriots.

And there are others who have spoken out - Marine LtCol Stu Scheller spoke his mind today about leadership accountability. He was fired two hours later. Somebody call Fox – this Marine will need a job soon.

We’re a military family. Two blue stars hung in our window during four long deployments a few years ago. Thankfully, those stars never changed colors. My sons served and went on with their lives and joined a grateful nation in supporting those who continue to serve. As we watch this unfold, we too, are pissed.

Demand answers, people.

“I bear responsibility… but…” That’s not accountability, it’s cowardice. The buck is still moving.

And your son’s death Mr. President, while tragic, was not at the hands of a vicious, unrelenting enemy. Your son was not murdered in the blink of an eye by a violent, catastrophic fury. When he passed, you had plenty of warning. You and your family were at his side, where you belonged. The difference is monumental. Remember that when the aircraft ramp opens and reveals the 13 fallen warriors draped in our nation’s colors.

America will be by their side, where we belong. And legions of pissed-off Veterans will be there forever.?