Call Sign Chaos

by Jim Mattis

General Franks was opaque. “We may well use assets from [Rhino] to interdict the roads….It is not an invasion. As soon as our work is finished, it [Rhino] certainly will be removed. And yes, we may well use it to bring humanitarian assistance to the people in Afghanistan.” Not an invasion? Well, here we were—hundreds of Marines and Special Operations troops, caked in dust, cleaning their weapons four times a day. In September, the President had described CENTCOM’s war plan as requiring ground troops to “hunt down remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters.” We had come to Rhino to destroy the terrorists who had murdered three thousand civilians. Admiral Moore had told me to land and shatter the Taliban’s last hope of defending themselves. His clear-eyed vision, coupled with his force of personality, gave me at least one steady anchor point on which to plan and conduct the operation. His example would be a model to me in the years ahead.