Coby Dillard: The president’s failure in Iraq
Our buddy, Coby Dillard, who I’ve known since the day we stood outside the National Press Club in the spring drizzle back in 2008 while Jeremiah Wright spoke inside, is an Iraq War Navy veteran and a co-founder of the old Veterans For Freedom along with TSO. He has an opinion piece in the Virginian-Pilot this morning in regards to the fall of Fallujah and Ramadi to al Qaeda earlier this month.
That such hard-earned gains – 134 service members were lost in the first and second battles in Fallujah – could be wiped out is a testament to the failure of President Barack Obama’s strategy of unconditional withdrawal in Iraq and flies in the face of the memories of those who lost their lives there.
Instead of building on the gains of the Iraq surge, Obama decided it better to abandon the pursuit of decisive victory, only promising – as a candidate – that he would end the war “responsibly.”
We now see what that entails. To be able to say that a campaign promise was fulfilled, our efforts in Iraq were cast aside by this president, as if our sacrifices meant little in comparison to being elected.
[…]
Even the war’s staunchest detractors must concede that we left those areas in markedly better condition than we found them in. Now, those gains have been discarded.
Folks come here to TAH to read about how veterans think. they should head over to the VP and read Coby’s piece which echoes my own thoughts.
Category: Terror War
Excellent piece… it is dsgusting that it had to be written. I said it back then and will say it agin. When your “strategy” revolves around tucking your tail and running, then just do it!! Do not continue to cost the lives of American men and Woman, which is exactly what the occupant of the White House has been doing during his Presidency.
He did not even make an honest attempt to negotiate an SOF Agreement with Iraq, and used the first sign of trouble in those “talks” to just leave. Most who were not riding the tails of the Emporer at the time were predicting this, and we were all called all manner of things to include racist for doing so.
Recall that The Emperor shifted to the war we were supposed to be fighting all along, the war in Afghanistan. And then did what? Announced our withdrawl date. I cannot stomach Gates but I am convinced that he nailed it when he wrote that obama’s passion for things military is limited to opening the service to queers.
This whole situation has been messing with my sleep for the past 2 weeks. I lost my first platoon sergeant and two other Marines from my company as well as picking up some souvenir metal which still hurts like a mother to this day during 1st Fallujah.
To say that I am disappointed is an understatement.
May God have mercy on our military.
@3 – I’ll be praying for the peace of your soul, Brother. You, and all those like you.
Anybody with two functioning brain cells saw this coming. I’m still sick that he was re-elected…
I was there at FOB Adder from ’08-’09. This makes me angry.
Nov 26th, 2004 had the toughest assignment in my 27 year military career. I had to knock on a door to let parents know their son was killed in Ramadi earlier that day. What this PoS WH occupant has done to negate the sacrifices of the USMC and USA in Anbar is a slap in the face to all parents who had to bury their sons for that $h!th0le. I cannot add anything more to what most of you have said in others posts concerning this PoS WH occupant.
Y’all tell me if you think I’m wrong, but I’m convinced that B. Hussein 0bama & Company have done and will continue to do all they can to spit on us Vets, our accomplishments, and our graves when we’re gone!
The only thing that would keep me from urinating and defecating on B. Hussein 0bama and Jane Fonda’s graves is that I HATE WAITING IN LONG LINES!!
I saw the article in Concerned Veterans for America’s newsfeed this morning. Well written, but it’s aggravating to say the least.
Off topic a bit, but there are a few spots left for CVA’s event in Alexandria VA this Thursday. If anyone is interested, more info (including free RSVP) is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/come-meet-us-tickets-10080163039
Well written, but again speaks volumes that the sacrifices the men and women who serve makes is so easily dismissed by this administration.