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| Terry Walker: The chief warrant officer is bullish on the war. 'It's about vision,' he says. Gordon Lubold |
In Iraq, a veteran Marine gunner sees a war to be won
Chief warrant officer says that the US mission in Iraq will be 'revolutionary' for the Middle East.
from the October 16, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
"He understands human nature, has a robust historical basis for his approach, and can build human bonds across cultural divides," says General Mattis, known as one of the Corps' most colorful warriors.
Walker sees his job as not to create an Iraqi force in the American image but to give Iraqis the basics and the discipline they need to defend their own country.
Like many Americans who works closely with the Iraqi forces, Walker clearly has frustrations: He wishes the Iraqi Army's leave policy didn't allow soldiers to return home for weeks at a time, for example. And he grouses that culture here tolerates such a fatalistic approach to life, typically summed up in the common Arabic expression inshallah, meaning God willing, and uttered at challenges big and small.
"We don't allow inshallah," says Walker. "It's either you will or you won't."
His parting shot
Walker only has a few months left before his tour in Iraq is over. He appears to mean it when he says he doesn't want to leave. He may not have a choice – military men and women can serve only so long.
Earlier this year, Walker received a form letter from Gen. James Conway, the current Marine Corps commandant. It was to him, he says, the saddest words he could read: After nearly 34 years of faithful service, it is time to hang up the uniform and retire from the Corps.
Walker says he believes that he still has more to give to the Corps, yet he will abide by this final order. But not wanting to let anyone have the last word, even a four-star general, Walker took the bold step and wrote back with a bit of wry humor.
"If I thought this was going to be a part-time job," he wrote the commandant, "I never would have joined." [Editor's note: The original version misquoted Gunner Walker.]
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