When is enough, enough?

This archived article was written by: Christopher Palo

U.S. and foreign relations have always been a point of scrutiny for civilian and military personnel alike. When working with local nations in a country in which there is a conflict, there is always cause for concern. But when people in Congress, who have never had boots on the ground, start making decisions about what goes on in country, things get a little hairy.
Recently, on a Forward Observation Base in Afghanistan, a soldier was killed when shot by a member of the Afghan National Army. The FOB housed both American and Afghan forces.
In the last 10 years, the military has done numerous missions with local nationals. Relationships with allies in the theater of operations is essential to the fight. That being said, multiple incidents occurred in both Iraq and Afghan theaters. In 2007, officials from the Department of Defense conducted a study, matching the serial numbers of the rocket-propelled grenades deployed against U.S. forces and those given to the Iraqi Army by the U.S. It was found that nine out of the 10 RPGs used to harm coalition forces were actually provided by U.S. forces.
Upon further study of the nature of the supposed fratricide, it was discovered that Iranian-terror groups were signing up for the Iraqi Army, receiving the training and using the tactics and weapons to fight coalition forces.
The same is now happening with the Afghan Army. Insurgents are acting as “double agents” and infiltrating the ranks of allied forces and using the weapons and tactics to their advantage.
Soldiers are being wounded and dying because Congress is worried more about the popular opinion and reelection than soldier’s lives. The ANA attack on American forces in Afghanistan is just another of attacks that American soldiers have to deal with since the genesis of this “Global War On Terror”.
When will congress decide that it’s enough? When will congress start giving a damn about the men and women they send to fight for their freedom? It seems that they are more worried about the local nationals than they are the mission and the personnel driving that mission forward.
The death of that soldier is a tragedy, but it could have been avoided by proper vetting of foreign troops. You wouldn’t let a lion into a sheep’s den just because it is kind of furry. It appears as if congress views the soldiers over there as expendable.
The actions taken to supposedly curb the potential threat of an incident like this happening again was to separate the two armies to different sides of the FOB. The Afghan army got put in “time out” because they killed a soldier. Yet American troops are serving life sentences for mercy killings. Something smells found in the state of DC.
Most troop’s biggest complaints are that they are being restricted with what they are and are not allowed to do. There are even tales of troops having to ask permission to defend themselves when fired upon. This is synonymous to taking a cop getting stabbed and asking if its okay that they do what they can to stay alive and return home to their family.
Something has got to give the American people need to protect their own and stop worrying about the rest of the world and start looking out for themselves.
When will enough, be enough?