I tried to read this and had to stop. “We” shouldn't have been in Afghanistan to begin with. Then there would be no problem to sort out, right?
“A lot of it has to do with politics and rank and stature and always, in my opinion, the more dynamic and public the screw-up, the more likely it is that someone is going to get highly decorated.”
My opinion is the attention paid to metals and bureaucracy that must be attached is part of the effort for retention and recruitment, because war needs cannon fodder. It’s sad.