One perspective on Afghanistan

And not the one you've seen in the media.

Item:

 I was sincerely hoping to learn that the claims were true: that conditions in Afghanistan were improving, that the local government and military were progressing toward self-sufficiency. I did not need to witness dramatic improvements to be reassured, but merely hoped to see evidence of positive trends, to see companies or battalions produce even minimal but sustainable progress.
Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.

The rest of the story.

The writer is a lieutenant colonel in the Army.