Marines use destruction to succeed in Afghanistan

SANGIN, Afghanistan (AP) – In a war where winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is the ultimate goal, damaging homes with powerful explosives and bulldozing a mosque and scores of other buildings may not sound like a wise idea.

But U.S. Marines in this key Taliban sanctuary say that's sometimes the only way to make progress, even if it risks angering the same people whose loyalties are required for success – a difficult trade-off that troops have grappled with throughout Afghanistan. read more

In The Head

You may have heard this before.  However, a couple of decades later while in the San Diego airport, waiting for my flight, I can't believe I actually had the presence of mind to remember it when a young, just graduated from Navy Boot Camp, seaman saw me leaving the urinal straighaway to the exit, I'm sure, noticing my 3rd Marine Division ball cap, and made the remark… it was priceless, and I still wonder at my ability to recall and use it. read more