Quote Originally Posted by carl View Post
How do you mean? I just finished The Wrong War, Little America and Losing Small Wars. All had much to say about the British effort in Helmand and Little American and Losing Small Wars were not complimentary.
Carl, it is apparent (in my interpretation) that this book was written to launch a career beyond the army lecturing on leadership aspects to civilians.

This book lacks the tactical and intel context of this company's operations in Helmand to make it meaningful to a soldier. (This maybe as a result of the threat or actual MoD censorship).

With his future career in mind we read ad nauseam about the poor conditions at FOB Inkerman. Think of the poor man having to shower using a "solar shower" and crap in a "long drop", not to mention the dust and the lack of fresh rations.

Quite frankly through trying to present himself to civilians as some sort of long suffering martyr he comes across to soldiers as some sort of self indulgent wimp. We read more about him spending time running around the FOB and in the makeshift gym, reading books, watching DVDs and "thinking" and practicing NLP, and chatting with the signalers in the ops room than we hear about any strategizing, planning, analyzing intel, training for operations.

Think of the poor man having to pace himself so he did not burn out over a six month tour. Poor darling.

Then the kicker... the loneliness of command. This tells us that his decision to leave the military was the correct one (for him). If he had stayed he would only be suitable for staff work and not command.

Let me explain it this way.

He was commanding a company of the finest soldiers - the Brit paras. It you look at the company structure as a pyramid standing firmly on its base then he was the apex. the "pyramid" (meaning the rank and file of the company) was carrying him. His job was made easy (because of the quality of the NCOs and troops).

This poor man saw his situation like an inverted Pyramid standing on/balancing on its apex (meaning him). He saw himself carrying all the responsibility... which, quite frankly, is pure nonsense (as he is not commanding a rabble but the best troops available.) One must question his fitness to command such a company of troops.

We should wish him well in his new career as a civilian.