Tell Them Valdez is Coming

I can't escape the uneasy feeling that
we're fighting, and escalating, the last war
-- while the enemy fights the next one
--Eugene Robinson, Bigger System Failure

Endeavor to persevere
--Outlaw Josey Wales (1967)
_________________

Ranger recently commented to some disdain at blog MilPub that the U.S. has already lost the next real war that we will have to fight.

Counterinsurgency has taught us how to lose wars while rationalizing these losses as victories. The U.S. has embraced fighting phony wars that can be lost with impunity to such an extent that we have forgotten how to win real wars. Today: Yemen, anyone? (How to Fight al-Qaeda's Offshoot in Yemen; Lawmakers Focus on Yemen.)

The following is a COIN Leadership exercise -- a mirror and a Class A uniform are required. This is self-administered and can be conducted at any pace. for the young soldiers reading this text.


[1] Dress up in Class A uniform with all applicable awards, tabs and decorations.

[2] Stand in front of mirror. Be at ease.

[3] Breathe deeply while placing one hand on the Soldier's Creed and one over the Ranger's Creed.

[4] Look earnestly in the mirror and reflect upon your glory while reciting:

"I am a soldier of the United States of America."

"I am a member of an Army that hasn't lost a battle since 1950, but hasn't won a war since 1945."

"None of these fine awards will change that fact."

Now you are dismissed and may proceed to the nearest bar to have a patriotic American buy you a free drink.

**Warning: If this procedural is conducted with Dress Blues, caution is advised in the case of erections lasting more than four hours. Proceed directly to the nearest emergency room in the case of this unfortunate eventuality.