exit strategy

I try not to climb on my soap box, but here I am, yet again, standing firmly and squarely on that box.  Here goes.  There is a segment of the public that believes that all Generals are “War Mongers.”  I’m sorry to disappoint anyone, but Generals, like Captains, Sergeants, and especially Privates, virtually to a man, do not like war.  It is a messy dangerous business that will haunt you the rest of your life.  For most within the profession of arms, a war signifies a failure to deter, not some vehicle for personal glory or advancement.  It signifies the loss of friends or family, and it also signifies the end of the way we lived before it ever started.  That is why most soldiers will tell you, IF you’re going to send us to fight one, then please make the cause just, and give us a chance to win.  The one more question that a General should add to that list is “while you’re at it, before you send us, please give us an exit strategy.” ~ Michael S. Pauley