Stillman starts by describing a bar fight in an establishment near Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and relating that such fights are far too common of late.
There are bar fights everywhere! Take your pick: just name a city or state where everyone gets along all the time. It just doesn't happen. How is this any different?
Half a decade into the "war on terror,"...
Her use of "half a decade" is pretty telling. It confirms and verifies her immaturity. When I was 21 I - along with most posters here who are at least in their early 30s, I would imagine - thought five years was a hell of a long time, but as we grew older, we realized it's not.
The author is simply suffering from a case of n00b impatience and lack of conviction - in other words, a total absence of personal attitudes and characteristics which are needed to get the job done.