One colonel's thoughts on the end of our long, hard involvement in the war in Iraq

The New York Times
came across some Haditha
documents dumped in Iraq. I read the article but I didn't see anything new.
My Washington Post colleague Josh
White covered all that stuff pretty thoroughly several years ago.

More thoughtful are the comments below from Col. Teddy
Spain. I knew him back in Baghdad in 2003, when he commanded the MPs in the
capital, and I wrote about his experience in my book Fiasco. He's a good soul. Recently he and I have been talking about
the end of the war in Iraq. Here are his thoughts these days.  

By Col. Teddy Spain, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Best Defense guest columnist

Americans will be debating for many years to come the wisdom
of the political decision that took us to war with Iraq in March, 2003. I
served as the Commander of the U. S. Army's 18th Military Police
Brigade during the ground war and first year of the occupation of Iraq. I am
deeply concerned about what happens after America departs. I don't think we
have achieved what we set out to achieve. 
I'm concerned Iraq cannot secure itself and we will see an increase in
Iranian influence. The soldiers of my brigade understood the importance of a
credible Iraqi police force and worked heroically to stand up a functioning
Iraqi policing system.  Not enough
emphasis was placed on the development of the Iraqi police and rule of law
during the first year of the war. From my past experiences, I don't feel the
Iraqi police will be ready by the end of this month to assume the burden of
protecting Iraqis from the variety of influences who will be trying to
undermine Iraq's recovery and pursuit of democracy. The Iraqi police will be
the target of their wrath in an effort to send a clear message to frightened
Iraqis that even the police cannot protect them. I find it hard to believe we
will not have to return at some point in the future, and perhaps lose even more
soldiers, than if we were to keep a larger presence there now.

Being a commander in combat is a heavy burden.  Parents, brothers, sisters, and countless
others entrust you with the care of their loved one.  As a commander you constantly balance mission
accomplishment, with the welfare of your soldiers.  You understand soldiers will die, and you do
everything in your power to ensure it makes a difference when they do.  When we pull out of Iraq in a couple of
weeks, will that undermine everything my soldiers fought and died for?  Not to mention the ones sitting at home
without all of their arms and legs?  I've
been asked many times since I've retired what my biggest concern about Iraq
is.  I always answer without hesitation
that I'm concerned that my 13 soldiers died in vain. That concern will grow at
the end of this month.  Many politicians
talk about the cost of war in dollars.  I
had millions of dollars worth of equipment destroyed in Iraq and never lost one
minute of sleep over it.  However, every
day of my life I think of those 13 soldiers and ask myself if there is anything
I could have done differently to have brought them back home alive. I come up
empty for an answer every day.  If I ever
conclude they died in vain, I hope it's not because yet another politician
pulled us out of Iraq before we finished the job we were sent there to do.