Maj. Gen. Walter Piatt on the Campbell Conversations

The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum in northern New York, is gearing up for a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with Fort Drum's Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Walter Piatt, about the Division's upcoming mission to Iraq, and his own experiences there. Interview highlights Grant Reeher (GR): The division has a long history of involvement in Afghanistan and you’ve written a couple books about your experiences in that country. It seems to me that that nation is getting less mainstream media attention in recent years relative to Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and so I wanted to get your take on Afghanistan though first. Where is that country right now, what would you say its prospects are for a reasonably stable democracy, and what do you think America’s proper role is there going forward? MG Piatt (WP): That’s a very good question, a very deep question. I would just speak from my experiences that the Afghan people