[Kanuk Free Press] "I saw the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese people. I saw the war through the eyes of villagers that I lived with. I saw the war through the eyes of Vietnamese soldiers and Marines there weren't there on one-year tours, but were there for the duration. I saw the war from the Delta to the DMZ. I saw the war from Cambodia to the coastal plains in the east. And it was a totally different perspective than I was hearing from my counterparts."
-- Gen. Anthony Zinni, speaking of his tour-of-duty as an Adviser in Vietnam.
After the Islamic State seized the Iraqi city of Ramadi (the capital of the critical Anbar Province), last week, those lobbying for complete U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Syria began speaking out more forcefully.
Their argument is encapsulated by the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson in his recent article about the future of U.S. involvement after Ramadi: "Ultimately, it doesn't matter how many troops [Barack Obama] sends back to Iraq or whether their footwear happens to touch the ground... Further escalating the U.S. military role, I would argue, will almost surely lead to a quagmire that makes us no more secure. If the choice is go big or go home, we should pick the latter."
Fortunately, we do have another option between "going big" or "going home" and clear path to victory: A substantial advisory effort, closely embedded with Iraqi security forces (Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish Army and Police forces) supported by a substantial increase in American airpower.
My own background and experiences as an adviser to Afghan National Security Forces have provided unique insights. First, I deployed for a year to Kandahar Province, then I became the senior U.S. military adviser to Helmand Province (from 2007-2008, before U.S. Marines replaced my command in Helmand).
We not only trained and equipped the Afghan National Security Forces, but accompanied those forces on combat operations against the Taliban. As advisers, we experienced the stark difference between the fighting "will" of Afghan forces with U.S. (or coalition) advisers and without those advisers. In short, when U.S. advisory teams accompanied Afghan Forces on missions, it was our experience those forces would fight to the last man and show incredible bravery.
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