Military strategies are formed in the Pentagon “tank”, and within the walled enclosures of the Baghdad Green Zone. But they are implemented by Army captains in the field, and the success or failure of nations rests upon the shoulders of men who have not yet reached their thirtieth year.
One such man was Captain Samuel Cook, who commanded the 3rd ACR’s C Troop in Salahuddin province:
(He) had been pursuing the local leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, whom he considered a “very passionate, eloquent speaker, well educated.” The terrorist leader offered to talk, and Cook took him up on it. “He was tired of being on the run, and he no longer believed in what he had once been preaching,” Cook said. He provided information on the whereabouts of a higher al Qaeda leader for the province, who was killed in a firefight two weeks later. He also told them that al Qaeda in Iraq had three major sources of funding: crime, the Kurds, and the Iranians. Cook would use this information adroitly, asking local Sunni insurgents why they thought al Qaeda was their friend, if it was on the payroll of the dreaded Persian power. The insurgents, who had affiliated with al Qaeda as the surge began to hit them, also were growing tired, Cook recalled.
A video of Cpt. Cook’s risky efforts at reaching out to the Sunni tribes who had been targeting his men in Salahuddin can be found here. All courtesy of Jules, who has a great deal more.
Wars fought and won on the backs of Captains and Sergeants is a paraphrase (or words to this effect) that I came across recently in my leisure arm chair readings on Operation Anaconda. Still true that the man on the ground in theatre has the best view of what needs doing.
when in doubt, always bet on the Cav Troop Commander.