The link: American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains (timesonline.co.uk).
A quote:
Sergeant Christopher Hughes, 37, from Detroit, has lost six colleagues and survived two roadside bombs. Asked if the mission was worthwhile, he replied: “If I knew exactly what the mission was, probably so, but I don’t.”
In Proverbs, it’s written, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
As long as military and political leaders refuse to publicly confess that the Afghans must be the ones who decide whether our enemies in Afghanistan can be overwhelmingly defeated, then we can’t deal with reality.
Where do we think the Taliban came from? From another world? Some country far, far away? They were produced by the families of Afghanistan, and because the Taliban are driven by certain Islamic beliefs, then it must mean that, in general, other non-combatant Afghans share those beliefs, or at least Afghans who are more willing to assert themselves.
If you’re not sure whether you can do more than merely contain and subdue the enemy, because of factors beyond your control, then you shouldn’t act if there’s some guarantee that you can, that it’s just a matter of fighting the good fight, otherwise you’re building up expectations in people that may not be fulfilled.
But in Afghanistan, if we want to maintain a presence in the country, then that implies we may never be more than an occupying force. That’s a big problem for multiple reasons. But by refusing to acknowledge it, it makes it appear that there’s only two options, total victory or total defeat, and it results in propaganda because politicians and leaders make it appear that there are only two options.
With the right mindset, you can endure adversity for the long term. If someone tells you success is going to be easy, and then it’s hard, and hard for a long time, you get discouraged and disillusioned.
Filed under: War
