American - Soldier | August 14, 1954 -
Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don't want to follow cautious cynics.
Stanley A. McChrystal
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We need to defend against weaknesses within and enemies without, using the tools of civil society and hard power. We don't have to pick one over the other.
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Defeat the Taliban. Secure the population.
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I resolved to try to steer clear of politics. That wasn't easy.
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To this day, I am saddened by Ranger Tillman's death, as I am for the loss of every service member I served with, and for the pain such losses cause each family.
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I knew from history that war comes with frightening regularity, often fought over the same ground and similar causes as previous conflicts.
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I spent a career carrying typically either an M16 or an M4 Carbine. An M4 Carbine fires a .223 caliber round, which is 5.56 mm at about 3000 feet per second.
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The number of people in America killed by firearms is extraordinary compared to other nations, and I don't think we're a bloodthirsty country. We need to look at everything we can do to safeguard our people.
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What scares me about drone strikes is how they are perceived around the world. The resentment created by American use of unmanned strikes... is much greater than the average American appreciates. They are hated on a visceral level, even by people who've never seen one or seen the effects of one.
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As combat infantrymen and special operators, we received thousands of hours of firearms training.
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In combat operations in places like Afghanistan, we often confronted the specter of dangerous people with powerful weapons who were a threat to their community and to our soldiers. Our aim was to quickly determine who in that community was a legitimate actor who could be trusted with a firearm and who was not.
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There's this intense media spotlight; there's a need to be transparent, and, 'Oh, by the way, I'm also trying to fight a war at the same time.' It's a challenge, but it goes with the job.
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