Today, I interview an Afghanistan war veteran named Tony Beaird. I wanted his general take on private contractors, troop suicide rates, and what hope, if any, there is in Afghanistan
1. Thank you for coming on. First question: I’ve heard several generals say the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars have exhausted our military to where we might not be at a ready place for North Korea. Do you think the smaller scale gains made in these countries distract us from larger enemies like China and North Korea?
Tony: It makes more sense to say yes, but then again they feel that they need to complete the mission. It’s all about priority levels.
2. If the Al-Qaeda branch that was in Afghanistan has relocated to Yemen and Pakistan, could we make the case that it’s time to leave Afghanistan immediately?
Tony: I would say no. In most cases it would appear to be a goose chase, but Al-Qaeda wants us to leave Afghanistan.
3. The corruption of the Afghanistan police force and Army makes it hard for the United States Army to fully trust them or count on their total allegiance. Could a case be made that some places just aren’t ready for the type of Democracy we have?
Tony: Definitely.
4. General thoughts on the war in Iraq? In Afghanistan?
Tony: A lot of mixed emotions on both topics. Not a lot going on in Iraq…but that could be a bad thing in many situations; anything is possible in war.
5. I’ve made no secret of the fact I think Iraq was a war largely fought to make defense contractors rich. When you see that Blackwater private security gets paid three times as much as you do for jobs that aren’t essential, what are your feelings on something like that?
Tony: I can’t really say anything about Blackwater because they’re so mysterious and you can’t focus on anything “rumored.” I’ve heard a lot of rough stories about them though.
6. There was a scandal in Iraq that Halliburton wasn’t doing what they were paid to do. One example is that they were in charge of sanitizing the water supply for troops–a contract worth billions–but didn’t properly clean it to save a few million in proper water treatment techniques. Soldiers were taking showers in water that had typhus and malaria in it. How does it feel to know you might survive in a war zone but come home with some type of disease because of corporate greed?
Tony: That is truly pitiful. Extreme actions should be taken immediately.
7. Another example was a lot of electrical problems where Halliburton didn’t do proper wiring and several soldiers got electrocuted. When politicians talk about the need to “Support the Troops” but don’t even bother to do basic things for them, does it make you think “What a bunch of shit?”
Tony: Most definitely. I think about that all the time.I’ve learned that there are a lot of worthless people. I meet all kinds of people who have that same mentality on the surface but are rotten to the core in selfishness.
8. Yet another scandal in Iraq was that a defense contractor called C.A.C.I was contracted out to provide some intelligence and handle a few interrogations, most of which led to bad information and put troops in combat situations they didn’t have to be in to arrest the wrong person. All intelligence is something the Army used to do itself. What are your thoughts on the increased privatization of military services?
Tony: It’s where the money is and you get what you pay for on all service levels. There are intelligence jobs for military personnel but they also hire “elite” civilian contractors (they get paid a lot more and have a less stressful job as their military counterpart “Private Snuffy”)
9. The number of returning troop suicide rates has increased dramatically. Do you think the Army does a good enough job helping out veterans when they return from war?
Tony: I can’t say for everyone because everyone’s situation and needs are different. The Army’s care is nice because you have opportunity to save a lot of money while in the military, and a lot of people don’t plan ahead. However, a lot of people are not getting the proper care/money that they truly deserve.
10. An Army recruiter I once talked to promised me I would serve most of my time in Hawaii and spend a few months in Afghanistan. A friend who actually joined said he spent a few weeks in Hawaii and years in Iraq. What is something they lied about when you first joined?
Tony: I’ve heard a lot of “recruiter lies” from people in the army, but my recruiter was actually somewhat honest, and hooked me up nicely. He could have given me better description on some things, but I don’t hold any grudge.
11. Donald Rumsfeld once famously said “You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want” which seemed like a swipe at the troops and how competent they are. Doesn’t that seem like a horse’s ass thing to say when the mistakes made in both wars were State Department screw ups and not U.S. Army screw ups?
Tony: That’s true but at the same time the military’s strength is the ability to suck it up and keep moving. Today’s world is getting softer in every aspect, and the army is no different. You look at conditions in all the previous wars, and then conditions in the current war. How many veterans from WWII bitched about PTSD, wanting more money, better gear, better conditions, more games, and better internet at more locations?
12. Every day we see the situation in Mexico get worse to where it sometimes looks worse than Afghanistan. When the cartels were threatened they became much more violent and desperate. Is a similar situation happening with the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Tony: I’d say it’s a similar situation in basically every scenario. When you become threatened and you’re at your vulnerable point that’s when you take desperate actions. That’s nature that can be applied to almost anything.
13. The corruption and drugs in Mexico will probably make it impossible to get rid of all 7 of the major drug cartels. Is something similar true of the Taliban and all the various war lords and insurgent groups that have a stake in Afghanistan? Would it be impossible to fully get rid of them and maybe we should just make a deal with a war lord to take over what the Taliban once did?
Tony: They are both common situations with lengthy project time. It’s a hard decision, and everything needs to be weighed accordingly. It may take years before we will reach our goal…or to realize that we won’t reach our goal. I can’t say that deals are the best in either case though due to trust issues.
14. How much of a four letter word is Pakistan around the troops in Afghanistan? Frequent reports surface that they meddle in everything in Afghanistan and certain sections of the ISI–Pakistan’s CIA–feed the Taliban information.
Tony: Nothing would surprise me. Everyone looks shady in Afghanistan.
15. We always hear that we should just trust the troops to tell us what’s going on in Iraq or Afghanistan and any progress being made, but most troops don’t have access to a lot of information over there right?
Tony: That’s true. The media will feed you whatever they want you to hear, and the troops only know what information is given to them.
16. I can remember you from way back and you were never heavily into guns or hunting or anything, but the rednecks that were didn’t actually join the Army or go serve overseas. Most of the guys I can remember talking about “killing some camel jockeys” never even joined the military or went to war. Why do you think that is?
Tony: I’ve met a lot of different types of people in the army. Most are out for the adventure and the ability to say that they served. The small town rednecks are mostly about putting on an image, and the redneck image is the only thing that they know, and being yourself isn’t always popular. When it comes to signing away years of your life with a bunch of question marks; the army isn’t for everyone.
Tony would like everyone to visit http://www.virtusapparel.com/index.php?src=directory&view=Virtus_Hero&srctype=detail&back=Virtus_Hero&refno=44 to pay tribute to another hero that wasn’t so fortunate to leave Afghanistan
Great article, very informative. I like the mexico connection. What is the us goverment doing about protecting our us borders from the crime infesting Mexico?
WELL TEHY NEED TO JUST GO AN DSHOTT ALL THEM BASTARDS OVER THER EWEAREING RAGS ON THERE HEADS. WAR DAMN EAGLE
You are a very bright person!
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