Bill Driscoll (Your Voice, 11-5) should be able to distinguish between an operational decision and a strategic one. The former is often made under duress, while the latter must be given all the time this critical decision merits.

I suggest rereading news coverage regarding a memo from an assistant Secretary of State which provided tacit approval for the coup against South Vietnam’s Diem, forcing the U.S. to assume responsibility. This slippery slope began when we had suffered 123 dead and ended with our dead exceeding 58,000 and our wounded almost 300,000.

I take issue with Driscoll’s statement, “... deferring the decision pending the action of the Afghanistan government makes no sense.”

I recently completed a manuscript that delved into the question: “Why couldn’t we win in Vietnam?” After lengthy research, including interviews with participants, I placed the most weight on the South Vietnamese government’s inability to gain the loyalty of the populace. The Army/Marine Manual on Counterinsurgency, prepared under the direction of Gen. David H. Petraeus, states: “Victory is achieved when the populace consents to the government’s legitimacy and stops actively and passively supporting the insurgency.”

In Thursday’s story, “Taliban ambush leads to 4-hour battle for platoon,” a Afghan translator is quoted, “... the walk home from here is no joke.” This should remind us that it’s easier to get into a war than to get out. Let’s support our president and pray he chooses the very best strategy before we repeat past mistakes.