What are the top 5 things we've learned from OIF

[SteveMetz]

"Fool!" cried the hunchback. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia,' but only slightly less well known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.'"

I'm not sure which is worse--that you're quoting the Princess Bride or that I recognize that you're quoting the Princess Bride.

[wm]

I'm not sure which is worse--that you're quoting the Princess Bride or that I recognize that you're quoting the Princess Bride.

I think we have a lot of leaders who took lessons at the same schools as Vizzini (the bald Sicilian) and Prince Humperdinck.

[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]
Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

I further think The Princess Bride ought to be mandatory viewing in every senior service academy, along with Dr. Strangelove and Forrest Gump or Being There.

So that's another lesson learned--many senior leaders do not seem to have a real clue.

[jcustis]

I think Dave summed up all the ones I was thinking, and a lot more. A few to add though are these:

-Sometimes it's okay to bring in an outsider to offer some commonsense insight into what is being done wrong and what could be done better (Kilcullen).

-An "oh ####" (Haditha) will negate just about every attaboy if it's bad enough.

-Layering warriors with all the pillows of force protection ignores the basic premise that sometimes we have to assume some occupational hazards to accomplish the mission (the IED fight). Doing so may actually hurt the troops.