Joseph on 9/11 and service
From: Joseph Kearns Goodwin
To: Doris Kearns Goodwin
When you lay out in balance - the value of my service to the country against the value of that same service to me; it quickly becomes clear that it is I who have been granted the greater gift. And while I have certainly questioned some of the circumstances that have tossed me around the world, and while I certainly feel remorse, if not regret, for some of the actions that I have been forced to take and some of the situations that I have had to witness I wouldn't have done anything differently if I was somehow thrust back to September 12th 2001.
— Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Joseph on Afghanistan
From: Joseph Kearns Goodwin
To: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Too often coalition forces roll in, guns at the ready, five vehicles deep, for even the simplest of meetings. Needless to say this builds an inherent barricade, physical and psychological, between you and the person with whom you are meeting. Sometimes we are so risk-averse that we blind ourselves to the society we are meant to be assisting...Being able to move around with less pomp, and with greater agility, allows you an access most analysts would dream about...we were able to learn more in 3 days about what the people of Afghanistan, specifically the West this time, really think and feel about our presence and their future than I could in 12 months of tooling around the HQ with our blast walls and barbed wire.
— Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Joseph on the Boston Red Sox
From: Joseph Kearns Goodwin
To: Doris Kearns Goodwin
One downside to this earlier than expected exit is the fact that I must figure out what exactly to do with my life ...not a terrible problem to have, and one I will begin to tackle while enjoying a beautiful and blessedly peaceful New England summer...With the Red Sox soundly in first place, and the prospect of a stress free July...I feel comfortable taking my time with such decisions
— Tuesday, Jun 23, 2009