Wade McComas

Twenty-five years ago today…September 11, 2001, a day indelibly etched on the fabric of America. The truth is that I don’t just think about 9/11 on its anniversary; I think about 9/11 every day. That attack, and the years that followed, forged me into the leader, the tactician, the husband, the father, and the writer I am today. I continue to study the events that led up to that Tuesday morning, and the actions we took in its wake - the mistakes we made, along with the successes. I think of all those who stepped up in the aftermath of the attacks, running to Ground Zero to assist in rescue and recovery operations, and I think of those who flooded military recruiting offices to answer their generation’s call. I think of those who gave their last full measure on the battlefield, those I knew and those I did not. The 25th anniversary of the attack is a natural time to reflect, not just on the horror and heroism of the day, but on what we have learned since. I find myself drawn to this barn with the American Flag in a small valley against the mountains in the days around the anniversary of September 11th. I think it is because, on this day, I choose to reflect on the flags raised from the ashes of 9/11. That flag reminds me that at this very moment, there are troops and intelligence officers deployed abroad, tasked with keeping America safe, dedicated to preventing another 9/11. And there are firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and police officers responding to calls right now, protecting and serving their fellow citizens, ready to run into collapsing buildings as others run out. Today, more than any other for the generation that lived it, is a day to remember why we fought, what we stand for, and how, no matter what, as Americans, we always get back up and keep moving forward. Strength and Honor 🇺🇸

Every August I find myself reflecting on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the close to twenty years that preceded it. My thoughts on what amounts to almost zero accountability for senior level military officers, elected representatives, and appointed bureaucrats who failed upward during that time are captured in a blog I wrote on 16 August 2021 titled “Imperial Hubris: The Great Game Revisited” and an article I wrote for TownHall on 23 August 2021 titled “A Time For Bold Adjustment: Fire The Generals.” Both can be found on the blog section of my website. officialjackcarr.com/the-uni…

From the blog: I describe the American experience in Afghanistan as “…a failure that crossed party lines over four separate administrations, two Republican and two Democrat. As we watch the U.S. Embassy evacuation in Kabul and see images of the Taliban taking control of the country, to those of us who fought there it is more than a strategic failure; it’s personal.” “This year, for the first time in U.S. history, one could have joined the military, served for twenty years, and retired while the country is still involved in the same war.” “In what is accurately described as imperial hubris, the United States political-military establishment confused entry and initial resolve with victory. They were wrong; America’s sons and daughters paid the price.” “Simply put, our elected officials and senior level military leaders were trapped by their own intellectual inertia, condemning us to eventual defeat.”   “Strategically, our leaders were not held to account for their blunders — in too many cases, blunders of epic proportions. Rather, they were promoted and eventually retired with full pensions to sit on the boards of companies making a killing in the world of government contracts; the military industrial complex is alive and well. As Lt. Col. Paul Yingling pointed out in his 2007 article A Failure in Generalship, ‘As matters stand now, a private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war.’”