Painful Progress Pays Off
Time, Tenacity and Toughness -- that's what it took to win the "unwinnable" province of Anbar in Iraq. In a ceremony on September 2 that victory was consummated by handing the reigns back to the people of that province.
Think about that -- the United States doesn't conquer, it liberates. We kick down the rotten door, clean house and then remodel the place -- and pay with our national treasure and the blood of our young men. Then, when the house is completely rebuilt and the thieves and thugs thrown out, we hand the keys back to the people who own the property.
This is why America wins wars. We don't win by consolidating power for ourselves, but by returning it to those from whom it was stolen. That's something to be proud of.
The same Marines who won Anbar province in Iraq are now repeating the process in Helmand province, Afghanistan. This scorching desert south of Kandahar was, until recently, completely under the control of the Taliban. Not because they took it from us, but because we simply hadn't been able to send any forces in there yet.
Enter the Marines of the 24th MEU, some of whom are veterans of three or more combat tours. They moved in four months ago and parked right in the center of the Taliban's prime poppy-growing (and thus revenue-producing) region. And for once, the Taliban stood and fought, which said a lot about the value of the area to the enemy's bottom line.
The Marines in this district are short on just about everything. They have no fans or air conditioners to allay the sweltering temps, which regularly top 120 degrees. Mail is almost unheard of. They eat field rations and sleep out of doors on cots. Their hygiene consists of sticking their heads under the sulfur-smelling spout of well water while a buddy pumps it out of the ground. Don't even ask about their toilet facilities. You don't want to know.
And yet, when asked what they need, these battle-hardened warriors reply with a grin, "just send more enemy." Coming from anyone else, it'd be hopeless bravado. But after living with these incredibly tough men for a week at the beginning of August, I can promise you they are sincere.
Even when their buddies are wounded by sniper fire or IEDs, their resolve never wavers.
When asked if they need reinforcements, their commander, Colonel Pete Petronzio shrugs and says, "Sure, we'll take 'em, but keep them in Iraq until we're sure things there are finished. We can hold down the fort until then. We just don't want to have to go BACK to Iraq because we pulled out too soon."
Afghanistan is NOT Iraq, and the problems faced in the shadow of the Hindu Kush are as different as Arabic is from Dari. But the Marines are confident of victory. They have the tenacity and the toughness to get the job done. Now all they need is time for their winning formula to work.
This week in Iraq, the U.S. handed over Anbar province to the Iraqis -- and left. Look for more of this kind of torch-passing to happen in Iraq in the weeks to come -- just don't expect it to be headline news.
Though for the sake of our heroes, it ought to be.
Chuck Holton
www.livefire.us