I have a much younger friend who has completed more than a year in Iraq and is now on duty in Afghanistan.

He is the only American serviceman about whom I am concerned.

I have seen both invasions as criminal enterprises from the onset.

Were these armies to suffer the fate of Athenians in Sicily, I would not shed a tear.

The only proper place for American soldiers is the border with Mexic0. I know our psychopathocracy will never station them there.

Although the troops may be reading your books that cannot save them from their utterly corrupt commanders and sociopathic political leadership. They do not seem to understand that the Spartans were fighting were fighting for Sparta rather than for ruling class that despises them.

Even General Grant’s first six months were repeatedly, disastrous. With increasing death tolls.

When Grant began having successes. You’re coming close to the re-election date in 1864. (And, of course, McLellan’s defeat as a the democratic contendah.) Today, we have the myth. Without the reality that an army encumbered like McLellan was, becomes very gun shy. So we keep the problem. Too much ordance to move. Our army doesn’t travel light. And, it is not feared.

Yes, we won the Civil War. As we did WW2. We kept slogging. While our country gets fatigued. Just as it had been fatigued, along with Europe. By WW1.

Wars in strange places? What good have we done in korea? Or in Vietnam? What’s ahead?

One of the things I read about Afghanistan is that their people are like some strange plant that grows ONLY OVER THERE! It drops its seed. And, that’s how they survive, generation in. Generation out.

While the Persians of old are trying to toss off the mullahs. Who have the guns. Tbe spheres of influence now are the Chinese. Where the Tamil Tigers were destroyed by Chinese equipment. And, NO MERCY! Stepping forward those will be the battles between winners and losers. When NO MERCY is shown. Otherwise? Look at Israel. A doormat to Obama. But not a dormat to the arabs.

America slumbers. 9/11 did not wake us up. Irak? Well, the saud’s didn’t get what they wanted, either.

I just discovered your blog today and loved the comments that Afghanistan hasn’t changed since 327 BC. As someone who has read The Afghan Campaign (along with everything else you’ve ever written), I see many similarities as well. What I would like to say here is thank you for taking the time and making the effort to put out a blog. Most successful authors do not give their readers the time of day, much less put out a timely, interesting blog in which readers can take part. I have emailed you twice, and both times you responded within a day. You were my favorite author the moment I finished Gates of Fire, but you remain my favorite author because you are a man of honor and class. Leonidas would be proud, sir:)