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561 empty chairs: Ret. Gen. John Allen on the sacrifices of the Afghanistan war (with video)
ABC News and Yahoo ^ | June 12, 2013 | Martha Raddatz, Richard Coolidge & Jordyn Phelps

Posted on 06/12/2013 8:20:49 AM PDT by EveningStar

Gen. John Allen recently retired from the military following his post as the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, but the memories of the 561 troops who died under his command - and the many thousands who were wounded - have not retired from his mind.

"I think about them every day; I think about them at night," Allen told On the Radar. "And there's a moment of reflection about those 561 empty chairs around dinner tables."

He described the war in Afghanistan as "a conflict of sacrifice" and said his focus now is to make sure the country doesn’t forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; afghanistanwar; generaljohnallen; johnallen

1 posted on 06/12/2013 8:20:49 AM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar

A good many of them murdered by the little islamist.


2 posted on 06/12/2013 8:25:06 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

What?


3 posted on 06/12/2013 8:55:44 AM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: Mr. Lucky

Murdered by their so-called Commander In Chief.


4 posted on 06/12/2013 8:59:47 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

And ultimately, there will be no reason for their sacrifice. Within months after we leave, Afghanistan will descend into chaos and the government will fall, only to be replaced by another Taliban-ruled totalitarian government.


5 posted on 06/12/2013 9:03:36 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Inside every liberal and WOD defender is a totalitarian screaming to get out.)
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To: EveningStar

There are a lot of people who want to be Officers in the military of The United States. They have different motivations. Some want to test themselves. Some want a steady paycheck. Some like order and a definite rank structure. Some like the lifestyle. Most have good intentions, or at least, they don’t have evil intentions. The problem is that this fighting, killing and dying business is really hard. You can want to be a good Officer, but that doesn’t really mean anything. Military Officers exist to fight and win our wars. Allen may be a compassionate man and a great Marine, but his job was to fight and win in Afghanistan. He did not accomplish this mission. The best way to protect your Soldiers is to make the enemy stop fighting. That is called victory. I don’t give a s**t if you want to be a military Officer. I give a s**t about whether you can win. THAT, is compassion. Anything else is just f**king around.


6 posted on 06/12/2013 9:27:03 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: onedoug

Got it.


7 posted on 06/12/2013 10:26:49 AM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: EveningStar

Great. He thinks about them all day and all night. Too bad he wasn’t thinking about them when he was ISAF commander but was instead e-mailing the big-titted socialite in Tampa.


8 posted on 06/12/2013 10:47:56 AM PDT by paddles ("The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." Tacitus)
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To: EveningStar

Great. He thinks about them all day and all night. Too bad he wasn’t thinking about them when he was ISAF commander but was instead e-mailing the big-titted socialite in Tampa.


9 posted on 06/12/2013 10:48:54 AM PDT by paddles ("The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." Tacitus)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

It’s been that way since the end of WWII. The United States has not won a major military victory going on 68 years now. The failures have always been political. But with the new attitude of, “Be All the Homo You Can Be”, and the insane enforcement of PC elements by compromised commanders, it’s only a matter of time before our military prowess is gone too.


10 posted on 06/12/2013 10:55:59 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: EveningStar

There appears to be 535 empty suits in the Halls of Congress.


11 posted on 06/12/2013 11:57:18 AM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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To: blueunicorn6

Where do I click, “Like” on FR? Your post qualifies.


12 posted on 06/12/2013 12:01:50 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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