This was written by an academic advisor at the  Air Force Academy. He was
not only one of the most brilliant men his student  (who passed this letter
along to the net) ever met, but also an individual who combined that
brilliance with common sense to lead others. The historian's words are
ones that haven't been heard yet but those which his student believes will
come to be true before we have the chance to recover from this initial
tragedy.


*************************************************************
Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of
military history. I have joined the cast of thousands who have written an
"open letter to Americans." Please share it if you feel so moved.

14  September, 2001

Dear friends and fellow Americans:
Like everyone  else in this great country, I am reeling from last week's
attack on our  sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not reeling from
surprise.

As a  career soldier and a student and teacher of military history, I have
a  different perspective and I think you should hear it. This war will be
won  or lost by the American citizens, not diplomats, politicians or
soldiers.
Let me briefly explain.
In spite of what the media, and even our own  government is telling us,
this act was not committed by a group of mentally  deranged fanatics. To
dismiss them as such would be among the gravest of  mistakes. This attack
was committed by a ferocious, intelligent and dedicated  adversary. Don't
take this the wrong way. I don't admire these men and I  deplore their
tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The many parallels  that have
been made with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are apropos. Not only
because it was a brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America, but
also because we may well be pulling our new adversaries out of caves 30
years  after we think this war is over, just like my father's generation
had to do  with the formidable Japanese in the years following WW II. These
men hate the  United States with all of their being, and we must not
underestimate the power  of their moral commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the
world's greatest combination  of soldier and sta! tesman, stated "the moral
is to the physical as three is  to one." Patton thought the Frenchman
underestimated its importance and said  moral conviction was five times
more important in battle than physical  strength.
Our enemies are willing--better said anxious -- to give their  lives for
their cause. How committed are we, America? And for how long?

In addition to demonstrating great moral conviction, the recent attack
demonstrated a mastery of some of the basic fundamentals of warfare taught
to  most military officers worldwide, namely simplicity, security and
surprise.  When I first heard rumors that some of these men may have been
trained at our  own Air War College, it made perfect sense to me. This was
not a random act of  violence, and we can expect the same sort of military
competence to be  displayed in the battle to come. This war will escalate,
with a good portion  of it happening right here in the good ol' U.S. of A.

These men will  not go easily into the night. They do not fear us. We must
not fear them.

(cont.)

In spite of our overwhelming conventional strength as the world's only
"superpower" (a truly silly term), we are the underdog in this fight. As
you  listen to the carefully scripted rhetoric designed to prepare us for
the march  for war, please realize that America is not equipped or
seriously trained for  the battle ahead. To be certain, our soldiers are
much better than the enemy,  and we have some excellent "counter-terrorist"
organizations, but they are  mostly trained for hostage rescues, airfield
seizures, or the occasional "body  snatch," (which may
come in handy). We will be fighting a war of  annihilation, because if
their early efforts are any indication, our enemy is  ready and willing to
die to the last man.
Eradicating the enemy will be  costly and time consuming. They have already
deployed their forces in as many  as 20 countries, and are likely living
the lives of everyday citizens. Simply  put, our soldiers will be tasked
with a search and destroy mission on multiple foreign landscapes, and the
public must be patient and supportive until the strategy and tactics can
be worked out.
For the most part, our military is  still in the process of redefining
itself and presided over by men and women  who grew up with - and were
promoted because they excelled in - Cold War  doctrine, strategy and
tactics. This will not be linear warfare, there will be  no clear "centers
of gravity" to strike with high technology weapons. Our vast  technological
edge will certainly be helpful, but it will not be decisive.  Perhaps the
perfect metaphor for the coming battle was introduced by the  terrorists
themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft -- this will be a knife  fight, and
it will be won or lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens and  soldiers,
not by software or smart bombs. We must also be patient with our  military
leaders.
Unlike Americans who are eager to put this messy time  behind us, our
adversaries have time on their side, and they will use it. They  plan to
fight a battle of attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the
American public loses its will to fight. This might be difficult to believe
in  this euphoric time of flag waving and patriotism, but it is generally
acknowledged that America lacks the stomach for a long fight. We need only
look as far back as Vietnam, when North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap
(also a military history teacher) defeated the United States of America
without ever winning a major tactical battle. American soldiers who marched
to  war cheered on by flag waving Americans in 1965 were reviled and spat
upon  less than three years later when they returned. Although we hope that
Usama  Bin Laden is no Giap, he is certain to understand and employ the
concept. We  can expect not only large doses of pain like the recent
attacks, but also less  audacious "sand in ! the gears" tactics, ranging
from livestock infestations  to attacks at water supplies and power
distribution facilities. These attacks  are designed to hit us in our
"comfort zone" forcing the average American to  "pay more and play less"
and eventually eroding our resolve. But it can only  work if we let it.

(cont.)

It is clear to me that the will of the American  citizenry - you and I - is
the center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It  will be the fulcrum upon
which victory or defeat will turn. He believes us to  be soft, impatient,
and self-centered. He may be right, but if so, we must  change. The
Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, (the most often quoted and least
read military theorist in history), says that there is a "remarkable
trinity of war" that is composed of the (1) will of the people, (2) the
political leadership of the government, and (3) the chance and probability
that plays out on the field of battle, in that order. Every American
citizen  was in the crosshairs of last Tuesday's attack, not just those
that were  unfortunate enough to be in the World Trade Center or Pentagon.
The will of  the American people will decide this war. If we are to win, it
will be because  we have what it takes to persevere through a few more
hits, learn from our  mistakes, improvise and adapt! . If we can do that,
we will eventually  prevail.
Everyone I've talked to in the past few days has shared a  common
frustration, saying in one form or another "I just wish I could do
something!" You are already doing it. Just keep faith in America, and
continue  to support your President and military, and the outcome is
certain. If we fail  to do so, the outcome is equally certain.
God Bless America
Dr.  Tony Kern, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret)
Former Director of Military History, USAF  Academy

"THE CHIEF"

If the management at AR15.com is so inclined, I personally think this thread should be tacked.

You're probably right Sweep. Hopefully people will at least copy it and email it to friends and family. It's a great message for the long haul this country is now embarking on.

I once heard Stephen Ambrose say that Hitler put a bet that his hardened Hitler Youth could beat out effeminate soft Boy Scouts, and he bet WRONG!

We may be soft but our will and bullets are hard!

btt

Great post! BTT!

Tyler

Excellent read... Definately the truth.

BTT
Kiwi

btt

btt - Everybody needs to read this.  All of it.

BTT

Bulldog Out

He is absolutely right. It will be interesting to see if America's stomach is in the fight when we start to lose thousands of young men. I just hope we have the will to finish it, no matter what the cost.

BTT

Ranger Out

Great letter, quite right, but the problem at hand is much deeper than that.  There is an enemy building within and no one seems to care.
Mayor Giuliani, who I think has done a great job of holding things together (and cleaning up NYC the past 8 years) has decided to 'ovethrow' the government by overturning current NY election law so that he can remain the mayor.
NY has Term Limits and he must step down.  He has said that he wants to continue on and has, DURING the ELECTION PROCESS, made a deal with 2 of the candidates to keep him on for an extra 3 mnnths as mayor.  When the 3rd candidate refused, the Mayor announced that he would seek to overturn the law [during the election process] and stay in power.  Free elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and they are being interfered with here in NYC...while the governor sits back and watches.  Am I wrong here?  I like the guy but law is law and disasters don't cancel elections and the 'handing over' of power.
Please tell me if I am over-reacting, because I find this all very chilling and no one seems to care.

Funny how true this statement is. This letter has been sitting in my email box for almost a week now and when I first opened it I saw how long it was and passed over it figuring I'd read it later.
This also shows my priorities in life. AR15.com posts first, email second.
Thanks for getting me to finally read this. Should be required reading for every American.

It seems to me that "free" elections would be such that New Yorkers could vote for Rudy if they agreed with him that it was better not to change mayors in the middle of the recovery/clenup/rebuild effort. Should he just be given a term extention? No. Of course not. But the public hould have the option of reelecting him if they so choose.

Wouldn't everyone just write in their vote for Rudy and he would be reelected anyway?

how do you copy and email?

I agree.  Great post.  I had already posted it into Word and formatted it so I could send it out so some friends when I realized what some of you have stated:  I can't think of anyone who will take the time to read it, even though it's only 3 pages or less.  I can hear the excuses..."You don't know what it's like having kids...It's just been crazy around here...etc."  And if we loose, it will be because of that lack of attention and focus.

Regarding Rudy, he should get up and say that NOTHING these terrorists have done will cause us to break one rule or bend one law and that he would NOT accept such a change on his behalf.  Then he could offer his services to the next administration.

Thank you, Liberty ship.  Well said.
It seems that many people confuse their rights with their desires.  Your rights are only good when protected by the courts. If you give up your RIGHT to free and un-tainted elections, then you will surely lose that right soon after.
You cannot set aside LAW & the state constitution out of convenience & desire.  Rudy is making deals with candidates DURING the election process.  He has tainted the process.
And what happens after the extra 3 months when he says "I think I should just finish out the year...the new guy isn't quite ready or liked by the people...MY people".
Rudy has a bad habit of talking law & order but making up his own private laws as it suits him.
The fact is, he has made several mandates in the past that have been struck down in court as being un-constitutional.
He is a control freak.  He does good and then goes too far. NY'ers now this about him.  It's a love-hate relationship.