Andy Stumpf

And it's okay, in my opinion at least, to acknowledge that shadow and do everything that you can to continue to try to build a better version of a lighthouse.

Maybe it's thinner so that the shadow is, you know what I mean?

Like figure out ways, maybe we can use some mirrors and throw some light into that shadow to make it as small as possible.

It's never gonna be perfect, but I don't think we should ever stop from trying to make it perfect.

Now, what does that have to do with your question?

What was it all for?

Well, for me, when I look back, it had far more to do with the people that I was with.

I was never involved in strategic planning or even operational planning.

I didn't decide to deploy American soldiers to Iraq or Afghanistan or any of the theaters of war around the world that American soldiers are currently at.

I worked at a tactical level, the lowest rung of the ladder on the tactical ladder.

At that level, it was about, as I answered before in the first question, it was about doing my job to the best of my ability.

And I cared so much about making sure I didn't make a mistake because of the respect and love that I had for the people to my left and right.

In those moments, that's actually what I cared about the most.

I would like to believe that we went to Iraq and Afghanistan for the right reasons.

I can't convince myself of that anymore when it comes to Iraq.

Afghanistan, I think we went for the right reasons, but the execution and staying there for 20 years was a galactic failure at a strategic and operational level, an error that I have never breathed in my life.

Not involved in those meetings.

This spans multiple presidencies, multiple presidents.

High-ranking military.

It was an absolute shitshow of the highest order.