Yingling: as soon as could be

Gordon Matthew wrote:

Some background on Paul Yingling's piece. It's illuminating to read this interview with LTC Yingling from last Fall. Gives a broader sense of where he's coming from, and how congruent his ideas are with your own.

Tom writes:

Read for yourself and see if you agree.

I've been waiting on the Yinglings to appear. To outsiders, it seems like it's taken forever, but if you spent your life working with this crowd, you realize this is as fast as it could have appeared.

Very hard thing to do, but very courageous.

When I emailed him, Gordon was scrupulous to note that he had picked up the interview link from Small Wars Journal. When I went over there to look for it, top post is by Yingling himself, newly minted SWJ member.

(It was the SWJ Editor who linked the interview in their forum thread on the generalship article, by the way.)

What does it say about a guy that he posts a picture of himself getting his ass kicked? Call it, also, a metaphor.

Comments

[SWJED]

Sean,

Hat Tip for Tom and you - appreciate the link - you are pretty quick or lucky - or both.

Dave D.

[Nathan Machula]

Yingling was second in command of the 3rd ACR under COL H.R. McMaster, whose book "Dereliction of Duty" makes a similar argument about Vietnam as Yingling's article makes about Iraq (he cites McMaster's book). Both are accomplished warrior-scholars in a similar mold as GEN Petraeus.

[Michal Shapiro]

an odd photo of Yingling...unlike the much larger man, he has no boxing gloves on.

[Anonymous]

D: in this case at least, lucky, which is sometimes better than quick, or good ;-)

N: great connection

M: i noticed that, too. i wonder why...

[Jason C]

On the gloves v. no gloves thing: Army combatives (hand to hand fighting) has an effective and very painful drill called 'acheiving the clinch.' Long story short, it involves an attacker (with gloves) and defender. The defender must take the hits necessary to close the distance between the two and clinch the attacker, basicly pinning or making imobile his arms, all without striking back. It's not a fun drill when your on the receiving end, beleive me.

[Anonymous]

thanks, Jason. very helpful!