Marine says winning in Afghanistan is possible
WHITEWATER — A local Marine lieutenant who led troops in Afghanistan this year said it’s possible to win in the war-torn country.
Joe Cull did not wear his uniform when he spoke at the Whitewater American Legion on Monday night. He was speaking for himself, not the Marines, he said.
Cull was in Afghanistan in July when a clogged city sewer pipe filled the basement of his duplex with water and sewage.
The city’s insurance company wouldn’t pay, and city officials said the city is not responsible for damages, which totaled $13,320.
The Whitewater City Council later voted to contribute $3,720 to offset the cost.
The Whitewater American Legion raised money to help. Post Cmdr. Steve Nass on Monday presented Cull with a check for $6,713.
Cull was appreciative. He tried to keep his opinions about the episode to himself but could not resist a joke about the difficulties of working with the city, saying that making progress with local officials in Afghanistan was similar to doing the same here.
“It’s all about relationships,” he said, smiling.
Cull led sniper platoons in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, a key stronghold of the Taliban insurgency.
When his troops weren’t fighting, they brought medical help to villagers as well as veterinarians for the livestock. They also conducted joint operations with British, Italian and Afghan forces.
Asked if the Afghan forces could be trusted, Cull told of battle plans that found their way to enemy hands. But not working with the Afghan forces is not an option in the counter-insurgency strategy.
“You’re going to have to incur some risk,” Cull said.
Cull made that risk clear with two slides—one of Marines carrying a wounded comrade to a helicopter, and one with Marines mourning over a pair of boots, a rifle and a helmet.
Cull said he didn’t think much of the British or Italian militaries before he worked with them.
“We are very fortunate to have them as our friends,” he said. “I fought with them in several battles, and I gotta tell you, they are warriors, just as Marines are.”
Cull noted difficulties with ethnic differences among Afghans, corrupt police who will steal from the people, the porous border with Pakistan and a feeling of allegiance to tribes rather than a central government.
Nevertheless, “I think we can win. I think it’s going to take proper execution of our strategy, which I think is spot-on,” he said.
That strategy includes the use of nonmilitary agencies such as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Agriculture, he said.
The various agencies have to work together he said, although that doesn’t always happen.
“This war is not about eliminating the Taliban,” he said. “It’s about eliminating the conditions that support the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
Cull told the story of a local contractor who was building a road, all the while being attacked by Taliban forces. Locals came out to fight and protect the road-builders.
“Those are actions that need to take place if we’re going to get out of there,” he said.
In the long run, whether Christian or Muslim, people are people, and they can find common ground, Cull said.
“We can come to the table as humans, and they certainly have that in Afghanistan. They just need to be shown something better.”
