How do you feel about the decision to pull American troops out of Syria?

SGT Joseph Gunderson — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 18:37:55 -0500

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2018 6:40 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 18:40:03 -0500

Defense secretary Mattis leaving sums it all up.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Dec 20 at 2018 6:56 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 18:56:51 -0500

I think MAJ. Montgomery summed up what is going on nicely.

Response by SSgt Christopher Brose made Dec 20 at 2018 7:04 PM

SSgt Christopher Brose — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 19:04:39 -0500

It's my understanding that Congress never authorized us to be in Syria, and I think the War Powers act is supposed to be limited to 90 days. Or at least it used to be, IIRC. I think if the people in Congress think withdrawing from Syria is the wrong thing to do, they can vote to keep us there.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2018 7:23 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 19:23:36 -0500

It is a fine balancing act. If you withdraw too soon it could have negative consequences. Obama pulled out of Iraq too fast and look at what happened. It should be done over time and gradually.

Response by SGT Matthew Sesar made Dec 20 at 2018 7:28 PM

SGT Matthew Sesar — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 19:28:17 -0500

Honestly, I don’t think about anything strategic. I love to hear about troops coming home always. I’m sure all of us do. I wish they would get the hell out of Afghanistan and Iraq also.

Response by SPC Casey Ashfield made Dec 20 at 2018 7:39 PM

SPC Casey Ashfield — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 19:39:05 -0500

All for it. In my junior opinion we never should have intervened in Syria in the first place.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2018 8:34 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 20:34:58 -0500

SGT Joseph Gunderson there must be more to this. We have troops stationed in 150 countries on 1,000+ bases around the globe. And Syria does it. We have bases throughout the ME, 2 carrier groups. And Syria did it. I’m missing something if pulling out of 1 country resulted in the resignation.

Response by SSgt Jessie Bolado made Dec 20 at 2018 10:09 PM

SSgt Jessie Bolado — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 22:09:27 -0500

We look weak withdrawing. Just days after Erdogan announced Turkey will go after US backed Kurds in Syria, President Trump announces we are pulling out. In another 10 yrs we’ll be there burying our young service members.

Response by Maj John Bell made Dec 20 at 2018 10:13 PM

Maj John Bell — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 22:13:00 -0500

The people that make these decisions have access to information that I don't. So I keep my mouth shut until enough is revealed to determine whether it was a good or bad decision. Then NO MATTER WHAT happens, I say "see... I told you so."

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Dec 20 at 2018 10:53 PM

SSG Warren Swan — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 22:53:16 -0500

I'll take some heat for this, but when anyone in a leadership position won't heed the advice of his more respected subordinates, and relies on "gut instinct" and news cycles to keep things going you get this. Trump has said he wanted us out of the ME and I agree with it, but recent history shows how "Mission Accomplished" wasn't accomplished. How the Iraqi government told us to leave and we did, just to end up worse than we were before we left with ISIS running rampant across the board. When Obama was hellbent on pulling us out of the Stan, his advisors told him how much a mistake it would be, and he saw how it worked so good in Iraq, he left us in place.

An ego is the worst thing to have in a situation where your decision can have life or death consequences. Dictating policy through yes men many who never served a day in their lives isn't how you make things right, and we will see the effects of this decision beyond Mattis hauling ass. His resignation letter made a important note of thanking the US for allowing him to be their SECDEF. At no point in the letter did he thank Trump personally in comparison to Hailey's letter when she submitted it. That is telling how he feels without actually saying it.

Do I agree to pull us out? Yes. Is it the wise and prudent decision, hells naw. The mission was NOT accomplished, and the political standing and respect that Mattis brought to the position cannot be replicated. Powell won't take that job. We as a nation will pay dearly for this over time. Just like we did with Bush and Obama. I applaud Mattis integrity, honor, and duty to the troops. He was never politically minded, he just wanted and DEMANDED the best the services could offer. He gave the services the best he could in return. He took his lumps when demeaned in public and didn't reply to them. Fair winds and following Seas Crayon06

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2018 11:07 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 23:07:09 -0500

I'm a staunch supporter of President Trump, but I think he's wrong. SECDEF Mattis is very experienced and Trump should listen to him because he's hands down his best adviser.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Dec 20 at 2018 11:09 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 23:09:29 -0500

I just thought if something.
The Kurds are thinking if releasing a butt load of ISIS fighters. Sunni.
Russia and Iran probably don't really want to fight ISIS and Turkey is giving cover over a western section of Syria loaded with Sunnis.
If Russia, Iran and Syria push the Sunni's too hard, Turkey and the Saudis will show up. That would be a Sunni/Shia religious showdown. We know who Trump backs.
Who is the next SoD?

Response by SGT David T. made Dec 21 at 2018 8:54 AM

SGT David T. — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 08:54:41 -0500

That situation is complex. If ISIS is no longer a threat, then fine. I am not privy to that intel so I cannot say for sure. ISIS was our mess to clean up so I am cool with us being there for that. The Syrian Civil War is not our concern so we need to stay out of it. The issue is that the lines get blurred between the two.

I think generally speaking, we need to avoid prolonged foreign conflicts. I haven't seen any identifiable benefit to staying engaged this long. Maybe I just don't have access to that information, but from where I sit, we are just expending resources for no good reason. The other thing is, I think we need to get our own house in order before we start trying to get others' in order.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 21 at 2018 10:04 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:04:56 -0500

SGT Gunderson, I say with humor: you know better than to ask military personnel and veterans about "feelings".

Response by SSG K Johnson made Dec 21 at 2018 10:36 AM

SSG K Johnson — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:36:08 -0500

It's great that we wants to do that. Personally I am on Trump's side with this one. Bring them all home and focus on our own infrastructure. We have to fix ourselves before we go helping others. I see what he is trying to do.

Response by SSG K Johnson made Dec 21 at 2018 10:41 AM

SSG K Johnson — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:41:28 -0500

SECDEF is experienced...in military matters, not politics. The POTUS has his reasons for doing things he only has a limited time in office to do what he needs to get America back on track to being a superpower again. MAGA

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 21 at 2018 10:58 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:58:30 -0500

As long as someone else fills in when we pull out, we don't have to worry about the area destabilizing. With the power vacuum filled by the proper authorities, we can safely remove all US troops, I believe.

Response by PO1 Don Gulizia made Dec 21 at 2018 12:12 PM

PO1 Don Gulizia — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 12:12:39 -0500

Mixed feelings. On one hand, I believe the same issues following Obama's withdrawl from Iraq probably will occur. On the other hand, what is the end game? How long do we stay there? The Middle East has been a black hole my entire life. Same with Afghanistan (probably worse because that's been a bottomless pit for armies for 2,500 years). What pisses me off is all of the political flip flopping. If Pres. Trump said he was going to surge Syria and send more troops, the same that think he's pulling out too early would be critical that he was staying. (and vice versa)

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2018 12:42 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 12:42:50 -0500

Honestly, I feel like we will regret leaving.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Dec 22 at 2018 3:11 PM

MSG Danny Mathers — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 15:11:22 -0500

I agree with the decision which I believe there is a plan only known to a select few once ISIS comes out of the rubble. I think too many people have made a knee jerk reaction. President Trump is too smart to repeat BHO's fatal mistakes.

Response by Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. made Dec 22 at 2018 10:05 PM

Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 22:05:42 -0500

The Commander-in-Chief made the call. Only, concern is not leaving but what the Turks may do to the Kurds who have fought beside the U.S.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2018 8:04 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 08:04:03 -0500

Happy we are finally pulling out of this decades long mistake. We need to appoint another Sadam to keep that area controlled and move on.

Response by Sgt Jim Belcher made Dec 24 at 2018 2:19 PM

Sgt Jim Belcher — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 14:19:18 -0500

Stay if you intend to fight to win, leave if you are gonna pussyfoot like we have the last 68 years. Watching young men go to die with one arm tied behind their back is insane. Fight or talk...but this limited engagement, boundaries and ROEs that favor the enemy is killing young men and women who trust their so-called govt. Me, not so trusting anymore. Lived too long, seen too much. I'm from a family that served. We are proud, but realistic.

Response by Sgt Thomas Proctor made Dec 24 at 2018 5:58 PM

Sgt Thomas Proctor — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 17:58:55 -0500

Don't you feel that the other countries of the free world should be obligated to furnish ground troops in places such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. I know that other countries have been involved in these conflicts, but pull their troops out at the first chance. I feel that the U.S. has done more than their share of the heavy lifting and should not have to be the world's full time police force. If these countries, by now, cannot defend themselves they will never be able to the future. The democrats were upset when the U.S. sent in troops, now they are upset when President Trump pulls them out.

Response by FN Bill Sanders made Dec 24 at 2018 10:16 PM

FN Bill Sanders — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 22:16:28 -0500

Pull out.

Response by PO2 Sid Carlton made Dec 26 at 2018 8:40 AM

PO2 Sid Carlton — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 08:40:50 -0500

I am fine with the decision. Syria is a Russian problem.

Response by SSG Greg Miech made Dec 28 at 2018 11:56 PM

SSG Greg Miech — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 23:56:11 -0500

Good to get out. Probably a topic in the Trump and Putin talk with only the interpreters.

What was the goal? How well did it work when Russia and US forces were in the same country? Going to build another wall? What have they achieved so far? When you have mice in the house you can kill all the mice but if you do not kill the sources of the mice. So regardless, unless we want to stay there for generations, this is it. While the military does not want to give out their plan for secrecy, does one really think they have a plan to secure, develop that country? Seems they forgot about the Marshall Plan and all. Let the Russians do it and they can fight ISIS.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2018 12:34 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:34:25 -0500

Syria is a civil war, with multiple conflicting alliances. We have Syria, Iran and Russia in one alliance, rebels, ISIS and the US in another alliance, then Turkey versus the Kurds (Christians) and Syria. Not all of these are aligned, especially if the US has to arm current/former members of ISIS, who are fighting with the rebels. More importantly, this is a fight between Sunni and Shiite factions of Islam, who have been in conflict for several thousand years.

Although a case can be made that the US should seek to deter a Sunni or Shiite majority control of the region, we aren't even protecting our own borders against invasion. The priority of effort, politically, economically and militarily should be the defense of our homeland against invasion. The forces returning from Syria could be deployed along the border as the primary force, not supporting force to ICE/DHS, as the military has done since 1910.

Finally, one party has stated that using the military to secure the border is a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. This act was written after the Civil War and precluded the use of military forces to conduct domestic policies (police duties against US citizens). However, immigration is not a domestic policy but an enforcement of immigration laws. The military has the authority to stop the invasion being perpetrated by non-citizens and is therefore not a violation of the Act. If the Pose Comitatus Act applied, then the Punitive Expeditions of 1916 would not have been authorized. Congress did not declare war and US forces policed the US border on both sides.

Response by PO2 William Arden made Dec 31 at 2018 8:21 AM

PO2 William Arden — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 08:21:50 -0500

10 year Navy vet here. I personally think we need to bring our troops home from Syria, and Afghanistan. Tired of seeing my brothers in arms getting killed over this stupid war. What we originally went in for is done and over with. Let them fight their own war. We have enough technology to see what they are doing anyways without being their in person.

Response by SGM Hugh Blake made Jan 3 at 2019 2:50 PM

SGM Hugh Blake — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 14:50:56 -0500

President Trump has turned into a politician, he listens to his political advisers instead of the Generals & Defense Secretary. Same thing President Obama did, we will have to go back again to fix it. What deal did he make to give up the Kurds to Turkey? No one will ever trust us again, afraid that we will stab them in the back like the Kurds

Response by SSG Pedro Tapia made Jan 4 at 2019 11:34 AM

SSG Pedro Tapia — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 11:34:28 -0500

2500 men surrounded by hundred of thousands of muslims it's not my idea of a good ratio. I know tha SF's are force multiplayers, and the Kurds deserve better support from us, but I want our boys back home from that mess.

Response by SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson made Jan 4 at 2019 6:38 PM

SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 18:38:18 -0500

I don't and didn't mind helping a country defend itself; however, there is my belief that I will only help those who want to help themselves. We have gone into several countries and removed government heads why is Al-Assad any different, oh oh I know this one Putin! In Colorado when you have two bull elk and a heard of cows sooner or later those two bull elk have to lock horns. I'm a cold war vet and there is a reason we had a "cold war." We are headed toward another one only this time there may be three bull's in the mix. USA, Russia, and now China. We have been the feared top dog for a long time and our reputation preceded us after Japan. But if you have been a poor butt sniffer country for decades sooner or later you get tired of taking shit! Our interest in Syria isn't for its people it is a strategic issue just like in the game Risk. The middle East has been at war within itself for thousands of years and if we didn't need petro dollar control what use would we have for country on that continent other than Israel? From a biblical standpoint Damascus has fallen and the next event is soon to occur. When all hell breaks loose I would rather have all our soldiers here on the home front, because it's hard to defend the fort if there is no one in the fort.

Response by SGT James Mross made Jan 5 at 2019 3:50 PM

SGT James Mross — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 15:50:26 -0500

We have never had anything to gain from the fight in Syria (or Iraq or any of the other Mideast countries) and 16 years of war is well beyond long enough. If we weren't going to finish it then we should have never started it.

Response by TSgt Gary McPherson made Jan 6 at 2019 6:10 AM

TSgt Gary McPherson — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 06:10:03 -0500

It is a waste of lives,money and time being there.We or no one else will never stop them from fighting as history has shown.Hundreds of years of fighting each other.Many presidents have tried and failed as well as this president.Those people do not even like us.They like our money only.I say other countries should close their borders and keep them in their own countries and let them work things out.Just keep it from spreading.Why should our troops die for countries that hate us?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 6 at 2019 7:53 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 07:53:33 -0500

DOes anyone know if the pa guard is affected by this shutdown

Response by Capt Hansel Bumgarner made Jan 6 at 2019 9:38 AM

Capt Hansel Bumgarner — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 09:38:17 -0500

Has anyone asked what the end game is? Funny, all we usually hear from the Left is “What’s our exit strategy?” They would be asking this sometimes even before we put the first pair of boots on the ground. I look at it this way, Syria doesn’t want us there. Syria is Iran’s lap dog and by extension, Russia’s. Regardless of what happens, Iran and Russia will back-up Assad with money and weapons. So we are fighting ISIS..yay. What happens when ISIS is defeated? We can’t stay. What ISIS remains is the problem of Syria (and the problem of Iran and Russia). As for the factions fighting to overthrow Assad...did Trump say anything about no longer supporting them? If he did, I missed that part. I did catch the part where he said we would use Iraq as a base for striking targets in Syria. Just how many troops did we have in Syria? Was 2000 it? That’s a lot fighting in another country that we are not allied with, don’t have any sort of agreement with but no where near enough to over throw it.

Now, unless the Left starts explaining WHY our troops should have stayed and what they want to see accomplished, I will go with Trump on this at this time.

Response by MAJ Steve Daugherty made Jan 6 at 2019 9:43 AM

MAJ Steve Daugherty — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 09:43:58 -0500

We dropped the ball totally in the region. Even the Roman Empire crashed not from Western Barbarians but screwing around in the Middle East . We would have saved a lot of grief by stopping in Iraq after triumphantly rolling into Baghdad, Then telling the commanders of the 14 fully intact Iraqi divisions still left that they needed to take over , keep the infrastructure intact and then withdraw back to Kuwait with a reminder if they wanted to play games we can easily kick their ass again. We would have avoided the contempt bred for us by familiarity. We win battles well but we suck at making little images of ourselves all around the world.

Response by SrA Curtis Knull made Jan 6 at 2019 10:28 AM

SrA Curtis Knull — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 10:28:10 -0500

Mixed. Stability in the region is a bit tenuous right now. I do think, however, that long term occupation in the Middle East needs to scale down. Syria is a civil war. I think we should support only.

Response by GySgt Charles O'Connell made Jan 13 at 2019 6:41 PM

GySgt Charles O'Connell — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 18:41:20 -0500

ISIS is wrecked, Syria, the nation and it's government, is in chaos with Russia as its most significant ally. If, or when, ISIS regroups we'll hit them in their new AO, if it's in our interest to do so. Russia rebuilds Syria??? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Response by CPT Bobby Fields made Jan 16 at 2019 3:24 PM

CPT Bobby Fields — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 15:24:43 -0500

This is a horrible decision. ISIS is degraded probably to the level that Al Qaeda is degraded, but the Syrian theater isn't just about ISIS and a safe haven for terrorism. We are ceding influence to Russia and Iran, and Secretary Mattis wasn't able to convince President Trump of this strategic reality. Any time a presidential candidate talks about getting the US Military out of a conflict, they rarely offer strategic-level reasoning and instead express the overly simplistic reason of wanting to get the troops home. We should want to achieve our nation's strategic objectives (whatever they might be at the time), which gets the troops home, not just get them home because. Whether people agree with the notion of a second "Cold War" or not, the undeniable facts are that Russia has acted over and over again like the old Soviet Union since the mid-2000s with operations in Georgia and Ukraine, and moves like supporting Assad. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might just be a communist duck....

There are no good/honorable allies in the Middle East other than Israel, only those who support us based on their own interests (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt). Despite the widespread disdain throughout the Middle East for the U.S.A. we are able to maintain these delicate relationships so we can continue to have forward deployed logistics and air power projection. This is a lousy position to be in for the United States. No country in the Middle East supports the Assad regime except Iran, so leaving Syria only makes Iran and Syria happy (and the Russians), and gives Turkey the opportunity to move on the Kurds.

Response by LCpl Scott Morgan made Jan 22 at 2019 5:49 PM

LCpl Scott Morgan — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 17:49:27 -0500

Not until the task is properly finished....The suicide attacks shows that some people don't like the timeline that we have

Response by CH (LTC) Robert Leroe made Feb 10 at 2019 3:32 PM

CH (LTC) Robert Leroe — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 15:32:06 -0500

Maybe we should let NATO to do some of the heavy lifting for a change.

Response by PO1 Bill Adams made Oct 14 at 2019 3:24 PM

PO1 Bill Adams — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 15:24:39 -0400

Turkey has been planning to invade Syria for a while. The link below is from July.
Looks like it was going to eventually happen.

If we had not pulled out, would we be fighting Turkey right now?

There's more to this than the media is saying, and looks like whatever is happening there, most of the media wants to make it look like all Trump's fault.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/07/turkey-threatens-syria-invasion-us-sanctions.html

Turkey threatens Syria invasion as US sanctions loom

A breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute sparked by Turkey’s purchase of an advanced Russian missile system and Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish militia continues to elude the NATO allies.