Zen’s Iconic Compare and Contrast: Nine Years

I would like to depart from my usual style and take a leaf out of Charles Cameron’s playbook – notably his last post. Consider this a “Part II”.

Here are my selections:

Friendship Bridge, Afghanistan – February 16, 1989

….Many troops wondered how the Iraqis, whom they had worked closely with and trained over the past year, would react when they awakened on Sunday to find that the remaining American troops on the base had left without saying anything.

“The Iraqis are going to wake up in the morning, and nobody will be there,” said a soldier who identified himself only as Specialist Joseph. He said he had emigrated to the United States from Iraq in 2009 and enlisted a year later, and refused to give his full name because he worried for his family’s safety…..

Tampa Highway, Iraq – December 18, 2011

War without a strategy is like driving without a map – and in both cases you may not like your destination.