A Postcard From Kansas

Dear All,

The trip to Kansas has been great.

Fort Leavenworth is like a big, attractive campus of a good state university. If you are a civilian it cannot help but seem (and rightfully so) that everyone in uniform is in the cool fraternity while you are decidedly on the outside looking in.

The conference has been impressive, though at least for now I cannot speak much to it, as all of the events are not for attribution. But there has been some informative stuff, a mix of everything from tactical and operational to strategic and policy discussions blending the work of scholars, military personnel, and in most cases, both.

Tom and his family are well. His boys serve as my alarm clock (someone apparently mis-set it yesterday, much to Tom's consternation, but it worked just fine this morning as five years worth of boys ended up on my head at 6:15). There are a couple of other members of the former OU mafia that have come to occupy sacred space at the Combat Studies Institute and Command General Staff College, but fortunately there are enough fellas with khaki tucked into boots to keep them in line. Last night we had incredible barbecue. And we bought books.

I'll be back in Texas on Saturday. Until then, don't worry yourselves over this patriots folderol. It is much ado about very little. Enjoy the first couple of games of the Sox-Yanks series.

Yours,
dcat