Teresita,

To whom do you give the Pyrric victory? The 173rd or the Taliban?

The enemy always strives to hide their dead and wounded, in order to appear invincible. But they always know, and it gets harder and harder to recruit.

There have existed in this world, few if any soldiers that were as motivated and dedicated as the confederate army of Robert E. Lee. But in time, even he had desertions and found it harder to find replacements. The Taliban are no different. Their bravest and best (they may be the enemy, but give them credit where due) are usually the first to die. What is left is not the best or the bravest. And they have learned an important truth. We are good at killing. We do it well. And we are the Romans here, “not at all abating in courage for the loss they sustained, but even from their very anger gaining new force and resolution to go on with the war.”