Statement of Major General (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton, on Military Withdrawal from Syria
Washington, DC – With news that the United States is preparing to immediately withdraw all military from the conflict in Syria, Iraq War commander, and senior adviser to VoteVets, Major General (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton released the following statement:
“There was never any authorization for use of military force, for the US to be militarily involved in Syria. An immediate, and orderly, military withdrawal is wholly appropriate. However, America cannot wipe its hands clean of Syria, or the strife that people find themselves in. America must use every non-military tool in its arsenal – diplomatic, humanitarian, economic – to bring about a lasting political settlement, that will allow people in the region to live in peace and security. That includes not shutting out refugees. Doing so is the absolute best way to prevent the rise of a resurgent ISIS, or new terror organization.”
Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton served more than 30 years in the United States Army, including combat and post-combat assignments in Iraq, Bosnia and Somalia. As a major general he was assigned to Iraq from 2003 to 2004 as Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT), where he designed, manned, trained, and equipped the Iraqi armed forces for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the security forces for the Interior.