Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social
Writing about America’s post-9/11 wars
https://linktr.ee/wesleysmorgan
Author of THE HARDEST PLACE
https://tinyurl.com/yh9kbh5f
Please be either informative or funny in your replies
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https://linktr.ee/wesleysmorgan
Author of THE HARDEST PLACE
https://tinyurl.com/yh9kbh5f
Please be either informative or funny in your replies
Signal wesmorgan.01
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Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social
· Feb 25
My Afghanistan war book THE HARDEST PLACE is approaching its four-year anniversary.
Since I’ve mostly migrated from Twitter to Bluesky, over the next few months I’m going to recreate here a long thread of photos that many readers have enjoyed scrolling through as an accompaniment to the book.
Since I’ve mostly migrated from Twitter to Bluesky, over the next few months I’m going to recreate here a long thread of photos that many readers have enjoyed scrolling through as an accompaniment to the book.
Thread of photos illustrating THE HARDEST PLACE, sorted by chapter:
If you took one of these photos, let me know! Most were shared with me by unit commanders as part of big dumps of deployment photos, but I’d love to credit the individual veterans who took them.
If you took one of these photos, let me know! Most were shared with me by unit commanders as part of big dumps of deployment photos, but I’d love to credit the individual veterans who took them.
I have an addictive personality, it’s too dangerous
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 AM
I have an addictive personality, it’s too dangerous
I can never get a copy of this game or my life will be ruined. I loved it so much
a model of a wooden catapult with red ropes
ALT: a model of a wooden catapult with red ropes
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:55 PM
I can never get a copy of this game or my life will be ruined. I loved it so much
…seemed like a very serious flaw in McChrystal’s model of abolishing advisor teams in favor of direct unit-to-unit partnering, which I think *must* have been a big factor in the rise of g-on-bs. Those moments of young soldiers joking together were very funny right up until they weren’t.
November 24, 2025 at 11:52 PM
…seemed like a very serious flaw in McChrystal’s model of abolishing advisor teams in favor of direct unit-to-unit partnering, which I think *must* have been a big factor in the rise of g-on-bs. Those moments of young soldiers joking together were very funny right up until they weren’t.
Having narrowly survived a g-on-b where two US soldiers died, I had some moments of anxiety watching young ANA and young US infantry joke around together at outposts—like when a 1-502 platoon that had gotten tampons in a care package was trying to convince the ANA to put them in their noses. It…
November 24, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Having narrowly survived a g-on-b where two US soldiers died, I had some moments of anxiety watching young ANA and young US infantry joke around together at outposts—like when a 1-502 platoon that had gotten tampons in a care package was trying to convince the ANA to put them in their noses. It…
Huh. What was that focus driven by? I can imagine seeing that stuff contributed to alienation from Afghans for the typical infantryman on patrol
November 24, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Huh. What was that focus driven by? I can imagine seeing that stuff contributed to alienation from Afghans for the typical infantryman on patrol
I’m not sure, but if you DM me your email I will send it to you
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I’m not sure, but if you DM me your email I will send it to you
There was one report by the Jalalabad HTT in 2012 or so that tried to explain why green-on-blue attacks were exploding, based on interviews with ANA soldiers, that seemed like it was a model of “okay yeah we can really use this, you have a seat at the table” for the BCT
November 24, 2025 at 11:16 PM
There was one report by the Jalalabad HTT in 2012 or so that tried to explain why green-on-blue attacks were exploding, based on interviews with ANA soldiers, that seemed like it was a model of “okay yeah we can really use this, you have a seat at the table” for the BCT
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
My unit relentlessly mocked the HTT’s findings. One of them died performing the research and it was still a punchline.
November 24, 2025 at 11:07 PM
My unit relentlessly mocked the HTT’s findings. One of them died performing the research and it was still a punchline.
I think there was a learning curve for even (maybe especially) the most highly qualified anthropologists for understanding what kind of information and advice would be viewed as relevant by BCT commanders and allow them to start to be listened to
November 24, 2025 at 11:09 PM
I think there was a learning curve for even (maybe especially) the most highly qualified anthropologists for understanding what kind of information and advice would be viewed as relevant by BCT commanders and allow them to start to be listened to
HTT = human terrain team, which were meant to be made up of anthropologists etc., but assisting the military was frowned upon in the academic anthropology community, which presented manning problems that ultimately made many of the teams less effective than the prototype ones
November 24, 2025 at 11:03 PM
HTT = human terrain team, which were meant to be made up of anthropologists etc., but assisting the military was frowned upon in the academic anthropology community, which presented manning problems that ultimately made many of the teams less effective than the prototype ones
I’d have to re-read it…and I don’t want to…
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I’d have to re-read it…and I don’t want to…
I have a copy of one of these studies from the Helmand HTT, and it basically says exactly what @brasidas.bsky.social summarizes below and the portions of it about endemic child abuse are quite disturbing
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
November 24, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I have a copy of one of these studies from the Helmand HTT, and it basically says exactly what @brasidas.bsky.social summarizes below and the portions of it about endemic child abuse are quite disturbing
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
November 24, 2025 at 10:51 PM
I have a copy of one of these studies from the Helmand HTT, and it basically says exactly what @brasidas.bsky.social summarizes below and the portions of it about endemic child abuse are quite disturbing
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
(Also, funny that they didn’t learn the correct name of the Marine unit they were supporting)
And if the reason Van Orden put “delta” in all caps is actually not for emphasis but just because the Navy puts its unit designations in all caps (“ALFA Platoon, SEAL Team FOUR” really would be how he was taught to write it, for instance), that, too, is funny and dumb
November 22, 2025 at 12:05 AM
And if the reason Van Orden put “delta” in all caps is actually not for emphasis but just because the Navy puts its unit designations in all caps (“ALFA Platoon, SEAL Team FOUR” really would be how he was taught to write it, for instance), that, too, is funny and dumb
Two things can both be silly/dumb at once:
• A former SEAL specifying that he was in D Co at Army jump school rather than A, B, or C Co like that’s a flex
• The idea of *GWOT* paratroopers being “used to being behind enemy lines”
• A former SEAL specifying that he was in D Co at Army jump school rather than A, B, or C Co like that’s a flex
• The idea of *GWOT* paratroopers being “used to being behind enemy lines”
November 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Two things can both be silly/dumb at once:
• A former SEAL specifying that he was in D Co at Army jump school rather than A, B, or C Co like that’s a flex
• The idea of *GWOT* paratroopers being “used to being behind enemy lines”
• A former SEAL specifying that he was in D Co at Army jump school rather than A, B, or C Co like that’s a flex
• The idea of *GWOT* paratroopers being “used to being behind enemy lines”
Imagining if he was rapping here
November 21, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Imagining if he was rapping here
Reposted by Wesley Morgan
Here’s a couple of immediate contenders by @wesleymorgan.bsky.social and Simon Akam (I don’t think he’s on BlueSky?)
November 20, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Here’s a couple of immediate contenders by @wesleymorgan.bsky.social and Simon Akam (I don’t think he’s on BlueSky?)
Wrong Wesley Morgan!
November 20, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Wrong Wesley Morgan!
On the other hand, Jack Ryan’s sympathetic counterpart across many novels—trusted enough that Ryan has him orchestrate Clark’s and Chavez’s infiltrations of Japan and Iran—is Golovko, a consummate KGB professional who simply is loyal to Russia rather than to communism.
November 19, 2025 at 2:29 PM
On the other hand, Jack Ryan’s sympathetic counterpart across many novels—trusted enough that Ryan has him orchestrate Clark’s and Chavez’s infiltrations of Japan and Iran—is Golovko, a consummate KGB professional who simply is loyal to Russia rather than to communism.
It pains me to say it, but if Tom Clancy had lived to see the Trump presidency, he would have been an early enthusiastic supporter and would’ve been his second National Security Advisor after Flynn, only to be fired and become UN ambassador after his and Trump’s egos clashed.
November 19, 2025 at 2:20 PM
It pains me to say it, but if Tom Clancy had lived to see the Trump presidency, he would have been an early enthusiastic supporter and would’ve been his second National Security Advisor after Flynn, only to be fired and become UN ambassador after his and Trump’s egos clashed.
Disagree! Clancy loved Russians and hated the USSR. Russians were the only opponents he wrote somewhat three-dimensionally and with empathy. The moment he could after the fall of the USSR (DEBT OF HONOR onward), he switched them from noble opponents to natural US geopolitical allies against China.
If he was alive, he'd be like Kristol and every one of his books would be lambasting the admin. Dude hates Russians and would be out of the GOP after Trump suggested they hack Hillary.
November 19, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Disagree! Clancy loved Russians and hated the USSR. Russians were the only opponents he wrote somewhat three-dimensionally and with empathy. The moment he could after the fall of the USSR (DEBT OF HONOR onward), he switched them from noble opponents to natural US geopolitical allies against China.
The ISIS oil enterprise enters the chat
November 19, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The ISIS oil enterprise enters the chat
I have never been unkind to Tom Clancy, thank you very much
November 19, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I have never been unkind to Tom Clancy, thank you very much