Commentary - - Impedimenta.

This is coolbert:

Here from a comment to the blog:

"highly trained and highly specialized SF teaming up with the Afghan army [Northern Alliance] and using air power to rat out the tallies [Taliban]."

"As I recall from a documentary I saw about Army SF, they operated as 12 man teams at the basic level and lived in very spartan conditions in sparsely constructed operating bases."

I do recall all the moaning and groaning from the military pundits and television "experts" in the days after 9/11. The realization was that the U.S. military would have to go into Afghan in a major way to root out Osama and his Taliban confederates. And the folks that "know" what is going on said it would take the U.S. military THREE MONTHS JUST TO GET STARTED!! And then the winter weather of Afghan,especially in the mountain passes, would make things so treacherous that no conceivable military operations would be possible. I do remember this all very well.

It took only three weeks for the American Special Forces [SF] teams, a total of about two hundred troops [200 men] period, [British SAS and other national special operations forces too] to link up with the Northern Alliance and begin operations.

Mil-ops using B-52 bombers based in Diego Garcia dropping JDAMS from 40,000 feet one moment, cavalry charges by the Northern Alliance forces the next being routine!!

Within weeks, the Taliban had been routed, Al Qaeda was on the run, and Kabul was safely in friendly hands. This WAS ALL TOTALLY UNANTICIPATED!!

Those so-called "experts" not only were wrong, they looked very silly in the process!

The SF troops also adopted, very controversially, Afghan national dress, complete with those large pantaloon trousers, baseball caps, and BEARDS as all part of the deal. Living rough, driving around on 4-wheel motor-cycle like ATV, sans creature comforts of any type, and doing quite well [just as SF are supposed to do].

There was even a widely publicized photo of a SF troop, riding horseback, complete with sunglasses, participating in a celebratory match of buzkhashi, the Afghan national sport. SF knew what to do, and did it well.

Personally, I consider that period just after 9/11 to be a very high point of American military history. What was thought to be very difficult if not downright impossible, was done with panache', aplomb, and all those other French words and terms that are so appropriate.

"panache' - – noun - - 1. a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair"

"aplomb - – noun - - 1. imperturbable self-possession, poise, or assurance."

SF too, not providing the enemy with targets. Moving constantly, the SF troops the aggressor, not being the hunted.

"Make the enemy bleed, make him keep his head down, make him wonder where you are coming from" - - G.S. Patton.

coolbert.