America Deserves the Truth

U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, during his second tour in Afghanistan last year, traveled throughout the country, meeting with and interviewing American troops. He came away convinced that military leaders had not told the truth, and the war was a disaster.

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After reflection and consulting with his pastor, Lt. Col. Davis made a decision. According to The New York Times:

“… late last month, Colonel Davis, 48, began an unusual one-man campaign of military truth-telling. He wrote two reports, one unclassified and the other classified, summarizing his observations on the candor gap with respect to Afghanistan. He briefed four members of Congress and a dozen staff members, spoke with a reporter for The New York Times, sent his reports to the Defense Department’s inspector general — and only then informed his chain of command that he had done so.”

On Wednesday, Rep, Jim McGovern (D-MA), delivered a short speech in the House. He began by referring to a briefing he had received from Lt. Col. Davis, saying that he was  “… not only impressed with Lt. Col. Davis's character, but the information and analysis he shared with us. Simply put, the situation in Afghanistan does not reflect the optimistic statements we repeatedly hear from high military officials and commanders on a regular basis.”

You can read or watch Rep. McGovern’s speech. After summarizing the report, he ended: “America needs and deserves the truth.”