Some of my thinking comes from watching and trying to understand what the special forces are trying to accomplish. I have seen coverage of a commander in Anbar with a diagram he made of the local tribes that covered his wall. Whatever headway and understanding he made was mostly lost when another crew rotated in. Changing personnel often does not enhance efforts to form relationships. Of course to those who want carpet bombing to make parking lots, it wouldn't matter.
As for your blood boiling, it reminds me of a ret Master Sargent I used to employ in my company. He liked to complain about his retirement benefits, but I told him he was talking to the wrong person. Although I acknowledge that the armed services must keep their word, such does not communicate well to those of us in the real world who may also serve our country without any such perks.
I sense some hostility towards those who have served.
I’ll ask you again, if you were king (or queen), what would you have done differently than what the administration did as for the deployment of troops/units?
Your dad served when there was a draft. Would you have pushed for conscription after 9-11?