Strength is leading when you just don't want to lead.
One of the great things about America is we should not judge until we know the facts.
I think every war certainly wears on national will and national patience, particularly a counterinsurgency.
I think with the beginning of any political administration, you have to build trust, and it takes time.
We could do good things in Afghanistan for the next 100 years and fail.
I came to believe that a leader isn't good because they're right; they're good because they're willing to learn and to trust.
We need a strong civil society where the connection between different people and groups is firm and vibrant, not brittle and divided.
Change is painful, and people are always reticent to accept a lot of pain.
The military does very well taking average people and making them very good leaders.
America needs a big idea that plays to its strength. It should look to national service.
The reality is when you make 'America First' a bumper sticker and pump it overseas, what you're telling them is 'America Only'.
How we present ourselves matters a lot, and that's every American, not just at the senior levels.
If we want to be members of the world community, we need to think that way.
My dad was always the soldier I wanted to be.
Defeat the Taliban. Secure the population.
In every relationship, there are two perspectives to it.
If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.
I'm a believer in the Afghan people, so I support an increase in forces there.
I think, at the end of the day, you do better when you tend toward being transparent, even though there's some risk.
I resolved to try to steer clear of politics. That wasn't easy.
Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don't want to follow cautious cynics.
As combat infantrymen and special operators, we received thousands of hours of firearms training.
