Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day: The most demoralizing thing you can do

"The most demoralizing thing you can ever have to do is carry your dead down a mountain. It took us two days to get them out [to a spot where a helicopter could land]. We had to hump all the way down to the river. We couldn’t find any clearings all the way down." – ...

US Department of Defense/SP4 John L. Hennesey, 221st Sig Co
US Department of Defense/SP4 John L. Hennesey, 221st Sig Co
US Department of Defense/SP4 John L. Hennesey, 221st Sig Co

"The most demoralizing thing you can ever have to do is carry your dead down a mountain. It took us two days to get them out [to a spot where a helicopter could land]. We had to hump all the way down to the river. We couldn't find any clearings all the way down." - Charles Kirkey, recalling a 1971 mission when he was a company commander in the Americal Division. (Quoted p. 91, Keith William Nolan, Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann.)

"The most demoralizing thing you can ever have to do is carry your dead down a mountain. It took us two days to get them out [to a spot where a helicopter could land]. We had to hump all the way down to the river. We couldn’t find any clearings all the way down." – Charles Kirkey, recalling a 1971 mission when he was a company commander in the Americal Division. (Quoted p. 91, Keith William Nolan, Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann.)

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.