Seeing the Elephant
Understanding War is My Life's Pursuit
The Marines call it “Seeing the Elephant.” And I think it is the best phrase I’ve ever heard to describe war. Here’s the Wikipedia definition.
I love it. I’m hooked. That’s it. That’s the allure of war: you gain experience in the world at a significant cost.
That’s the thing about war. Once you experience it, see it, and breathe it in, you unlock many secrets about us, the human race.
It comes at a cost, for sure—possibly the ultimate one. But if you’re someone who has already come to terms with your own mortality, the world is your oyster.
Again, let our wise ancestors remind us:
A lot of people don’t like that. I get it, especially if you’re more into the New Testament. But most of the world isn’t into the New Testament. The rest of the world is still in the Old Testament (insert Far East equivalent).
Here’s the thing about war. You can immerse yourself in the literature. But still — then it’s just some algebraic equation until you breathe it into your body.
I will show you what it’s like to go to war. You will get front-row seats, I assure you.
Like I said, I’m just some Air Force intel weenie. Nothing more. Nothing less.
But I’ve embedded with the 7th SFG, 3rd SFG, and 5th SFG - sometimes for extended periods and sometimes for a week or so. I’ve conducted operations with too many Army maneuver units to remember. Hundreds? I don’t know. My memory ain’t what it used to be, people. My apologies.
But what I’m MOST proud of is how many operations I’ve conducted with foreign partners: Iraq Police, Iraqi Commandos, Iraqi Federal Police, Afghan Local Police, Afghan Uniformed Police, Kurdish Peshmerga, Afghan Directorate of Police Intelligence, Afghan National Army, Afghan National Army Special Operations Corps’ Operational Detachment Alphas, French Marine Infantry Regiment, French Foreign Legion, Romanian Special Forces, German Special Forces, Belgian Army, German Army, etc. etc.
Again, let me be clear: I’m a nobody—an Air Force intel weenie. But here’s what I brought to the table for maneuver units/special forces units: if you let me see the battlefield, I can carve it out for you. Boom. That’s it.
I’m not combat arms. That’s just not me. I know enough to fight and survive, but I was never at the tip of the spear. That was other fine people.
But they let me play. They brought me along so I could LEARN about the terrain and the people and breathe it in. When I get to do that, I tap into some secret of the universe.
It makes sense, though, right?
To really understand any battlefield or cause, you need to have at least seen the battlefield. Right? That doesn’t mean you can’t help out in that cause, but at a fundamental level, you’re relying on the word of others.
And that is true of any battlefield—the battle in your mind. Shit, I can read all about it, but until you let me in, then what do I know. I just know what someone said about you.
I give you that little salvo to say we will expand operations. The battlefield is becoming clear to me.
Buckle Up
More Haqqani?!
On June 5, Sirajuddin Haqqani accomplished what his father never could: international legitimacy. Traveling as the Minister of Interior, Siraj, along with his brother, Anas, and Abdul Haq Wassiq, the Taliban’s Spy Chief who is also a UN-sanctioned terrorist, Qari Ashraf, Mullah Muhammad Fazel Mazloom, and others, received the type of treatment one would expect from a statesmen instead of a man who is responsible for killing thousands of American service members.
Am I calling Sirajuddin Haqqani a dumbass for doing this? No. I love it. Please. Travel more often. Don’t be afraid. Bring everyone you know so we can follow you.
Dear Siraj
I see you.
Thank you.
Love,
Will
ANASOC
Our latest episode of Stories From My Brothers: Tales of the Afghan Security Forces is really great—but only because it features one of the Afghans' most elite commandos.
Come and learn from the Afghans. Let them be your teacher. They will tell you about these people who are coming to kill us.
You know why?
Because they grew up with them.
Listen to what they tell you.
That’s the secret. That’s it. Boom.
I love this. Seeing the elephant.. In research we like to say we see all sides and continue to look at a concept, event, etc. and continue to ask questions until at last it "crystallizes" for us. We immerse ourselves and continue to methodically question until it makes sense, until we see the patterns and themes, until the elephant crystallizes. You have read hundreds of books r plus the actual decades of experience of the war...It's an unbelievable combination...I just love this stuff. Keep writing.