Fort Hood General Defines Progress, Victory In Iraq

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Houston Chronicle
April 20, 2008 Sunday Conversation
By Dane Schiller, Houston Chronicle
Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, of Fort Hood, recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. He spoke with Houston Chronicle reporter Dane Schiller. Here are excerpts from that conversation.
Q: Are we winning the war?
A: I wouldn't say we are winning, but we are making progress. The people who have to win the war are the Iraqis.
Infrastructure and all those things, when you're winning a war, you want to say all that is going to be fixed and everything is going to be back to normal and people won't shoot at you, because they can earn a living. They can go to school. They can get an education. And by the way, the power runs, the water runs, the trash gets hauled away. All that has gone in the right direction. But winning? I think we have a long way to go to say we're winning.
Q: People talk about the war like never before. What do you tell the troops to keep their morale up?
A: The troops have to be focused on what their task at hand is. If you get distracted by other things, it is going to complicate life.
Q: What do you tell them when they say, 'Sir, look at what they are saying?' Some politicians and others are saying, 'No more war.'
A: You honestly don't worry about it. Obviously, we see it. We're all Americans. We understand our process. But that political process is a separate function from what the military guys are doing. There is no reason to get bogged down in it, because you have no way to influence it. And there is no need to worry about it, because you can't control it.
Q: With the Internet, the troops are constantly in contact with family. Is that good for their morale and getting their job done?
A: Generally, it is good, but it is a double-edged sword. When you get the potential crisis from home, frustrations of raising children and financial separation and other issues, that can wear.
Q: How long do you expect we'll be in Iraq?
A: I think we'll be there a long time. I think significant (troop strength), we're talking a good couple of years yet.
There will be an insurgency and a conflict for a long time because of the nature of the beast in terms of all the factions that are at play — foreign fighters, terrorists, insurgents, militias, ethnic violence. Trend-wise, terroristic activity and ethnic violence are way down.
Q: There are kids about to graduate from high school. Obviously some are considering the service. What would you tell them?
A: I would first say this is all about a cause greater than us, and I think service to nation is very, very important. I think it is an honorable thing to do, and I think everyone needs to have a feel for service to the country, not necessarily in uniform, but how you serve your country. Obviously, what we do is defend our nation and fight our nation's wars. That is what the Army does.
 
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