NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY

The military credo has been and will always be “NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY”. While watching the President’s Afghanistan Speech, at West Point, I had to wonder if he really understood the military. To me his presence at West Point was to use the Cadets as props to deliver an uninspiring speech. I felt a letdown from the man who is called “Commander In Chief”. I was not inspired nor would be desirous of following this man into battle. Remember, we respect the Office, but we don’t have to respect the man. He never spoke of the history or the great leaders that passed through the halls of the Point. He never spoke of Duty, Honor, and Country. He appeared to be programmed in giving this lackluster speech. He had no feeling or empathy with his audience. He outlined the Mission as something that was to be accomplished in 18 months. What was the specific mission? I always thought it was to rid the world of the Jihad terrorist that call themselves Al Qaeda. The Jihadist has a clear mission, kill the infidels. This is a declaration of war and we must defeat this ideology. The strategy and tactics presented by General’s Paetreus and McCrystal is clear and concise. . You can’t win a war by playing politics. It takes a dedication to the mission and planned objectives. The military has done a wonderful job in learning. adjusting and applying new tactics to changing situations and terrain. The war will be fought in phases with specific objectives. The time table is the accomplishment of successfully completing each phase and objective. The timetables cannot be related to elections. We must support our troops to defeat the Jihadist and bring civility back to the world. You don’t wage a war or go into battle to lose. There Is No Substitute For Victory.