A Plea to My Favorite Four Star General

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This is about your biography . . .someone will write it.

Steven Pressfield wrote that upon your retirement you plan to go home, hike the high country, stay out of politics, and not write your memoirs. In a speech at the American Veterans Center Conference in November of 2011 you indicated that you would like to teach civics to young folks and pass on the lessons you have learned through four decades of military service.

Oh I wish the errant few of our military’s general officers who practice measured indiscretion of the confidences expected of them by our country’s leaders had your strength of character, your moral courage,  and your devotion to protecting freedom.

Now then, there will be many wanting to write your biography. Shouldn’t you have a hand in that? You’ve had colorful moments and enormous challenges in your career, and there’s a lot of latitude for misinterpretation of your intent and decision processes. I believe telling people about those processes does not need to violate any trust or privilege expected of you by our leaders.

A proper biography of you written by an evocative and responsible author fosters honor, courage and commitment in all who read it.  It will steward freedom for humanity in the same way that your life has. It will carry on after your death and be a positive influence for generations. With a proper biography you will teach long after your death and continue messing with tyrants for millennia.

 

Image credits : U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, Commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), answers questions from members of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) 435, Dec. 25, 2011, Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan. Mattis visited with members of CJIATF 435 for the holiday season. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda Dick)

Iran and Our 2012 Presidential Candidates

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Do you suppose our presidential candidates have the slightest clue about what’s going on in Iran? Do they know the kinds of danger the country poses, and more importantly the situations inside the country that could lend it to being toppled without firing a shot?

Even President Obama may rattle the saber of war against Iran just so he can get re-elected. Very scary and reminiscent of what many people accused President Bush of doing with Iraq.

Here are some facts about Iran taken from a speech given on Nov 1, 2011 by General James N. Mattis who commands CENTCOM. It’s his business to know what’s going on in Iran and he states clearly that his job is to to prevent war.

  • They have no strategic ally.
  • They can’t win the hearts and minds of their own people.
  • They have messed up their own economy.
  • UN sanctions are actually working.
  • The nuclear centrifuges are turning.

Before you get distracted by “the nuclear centrifuges are turning,” consider something from journalist Neil MacFarquhar’s highly informative book The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday.

“They crave normalcy, but despair at not knowing how to attain it in the face of oppression that brings at least jail terms and even death to anyone trying to organize dissenters. One of the great failures of American Diplomacy in the Middle East has been Washington’s inability to harness that frustration.” . . . and . . .

“. . .it seemed the U.S. might garner more sympathy with the population and at the same time weaken the harsh ways of so many Mideast despots by making a show of their incompetence. That was definitely one characteristic common to them all. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya and certainly Egypt were not run very well, . . .”

In fact you can watch a video of Neil MacFarquhar talking to Mehdi Karroubi, former Chairman of Iran’s Parliament and reformer who is interested in a dialogue with the United States. Shortly after this video interview took place the Iranians increased the security on Karroubi and I don’t believe he’s been heard from since. But there are other reformers like him inside of Iran. Consider that it is possible that we could help them create a generally peaceful revolution and let them cease power.

Will our presidential candidates espouse war with Iran rather than seeking a peaceful solution, and do we really want a president who would embroil us in another war we probably don’t need to start?

I say NO!

Resources:
1. General Mattis addresses the Tri-Cities Rotary, Nov. 1, 2011.
2. Internet Role in Covering Iran – Neil MacFarquhar, United Nations Reporter.
3. Map of Iran from CNN.
4. The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday by Neil MacFarquhar.

This War – It’s Not About Islam

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My office is in a building with many attorneys and it’s a quiet place so I usually work with my door open. The flags and Marines that adorn my wall are clearly visible from the hallway and everyone who passes gets the message that I am engaged in some manner with the military and that I love my country. Some people mistake my support of my Marines as a sort of personal bloodlust. It always surprises me when people draw that conclusion.

Not too long ago one of the attorney’s stopped me at the elevator, he was coming and I was going. He was proud to tell me that he had a new bumper sticker that he was sure I’d like.  All it said was “American Infidel.” It made me sad to think that a man with an advanced education could so concisely tell me how little he knew about the war we have been fighting since September 11, 2001.

This war is not now, nor has it ever been about Islam. It is about tyranny. The same thing foisted upon Europe by Hitler, imposed upon the Soviet Union by Stalin, and has been, throughout the history of humanity, forced on civilizations at the hands of evil, ruthless, thugs masquerading as leaders. They always find a vehicle to advance their brand of horror. Currently Islam has been hijacked by these thugs and leveraged to promote as much fear as possible. They know enough Westerners will fall for their feint to generate contempt from the Muslim world and thus align many followers of Islam against us. In the parlance of my Marines, our need to blame Islam for this war is a force multiplier for the enemy.

This war is about defeating a foe who seeks to control humanity and through tyranny deny the rights of freedom loving peoples. It’s that simple. Blame (on Islam) is a tool they employ to trick us into alienating our allies so we have to fight alone.

By the way, my Favorite Four Star (General James N. Mattis, USMC) includes in many of his speeches the fact that more Muslims have died in this war than the total number of coalition troops.

. . .

Related reading:  The New KGB by Corson and Crowley. Published in 1985 it chronicles the tyranny of the KGB and it’s precursors from the early 20th century through the Cold War. You don’t have to read the whole thing, just a few chapters will horrify you. I picked it up to learn about Corson because one of my fictional characters is a Marine intelligence officer. Lord what an eye opener this book was!

Victory Point by Ed Darack

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Victory Point will sweep you into the arcane world of Afghanistan’s beautiful yet austere Hindu Kush Mountains, a place ruled by a mix of ancient tribalism and Islam. This recounting of two historic military operations in the ongoing war against terror is written with the riveting passion usually found in first class works of fiction.

You will experience fear, laugh at jarhead humor, cry for our lost warriors, and cheer for grunts, Warthogs, and amazing feats of flying by Shock Army and Dustoff aviators. Exhausted from hiking nearly vertical terrain in 120 degree temperatures while carrying 130 pounds of gear each, the grunts of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines crushed a ruthless Islamic fundamentalist. This is the true story of men whose resolve to win surpassed the most punishing environment imaginable and an evil enemy who had all the advantages.

Read the entire book and let Ed Darack educate you. From the first forays into the seemingly impassable Hindu Kush Mountains by Alexander the Great in 330 BC to the Soviets of the 1980’s, the peoples of this region have been invaded time after time experiencing some of the most gruesome and widespread acts of inhumanity in history.

Your gut will churn as you read about the widow and her child who were doused in gasoline and burnt alive by the Soviets, and your heart will soar with pride as one Marine enlists the help of Americans back home to build and supply a girl’s school.

Victory Point is the real story of our military and how this war is being fought. It tells about the mistakes, the chance happenings, the value of human intelligence, the plans that get pushed aside making operations more dangerous, and the gut feelings that turn out to be true. You will learn why Marines persevere when all others fail.

A personal note: I am biased towards these Marines. It was early June 2005 when I browsed the list of units in Afghanistan on AnySoldier.com. I selected three units of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines to support and immediately started writing weekly letters and sending bi-weekly care packages to the three units. During the several months that I supported these Marines I received nearly thirty letters from them; some written just after returning from the very missions chronicled in this engaging book. At the time I didn’t realize how treacherous their missions had been.