Retired general keynotes Saturday night banquet

Retired General David Petreaus told a crowd in Toccoa Saturday that terrorism is the struggle of a generation. He spoke at Saturday’s $50 dollar a plate Currahee Military Weekend banquet at Toccoa’s National Guard Armory. According to Petreaus, fighting terrorism will require an approach that can be sustained for decades if necessary. “It takes more than drone strikes, more than Delta Force or Ranger raids,” said Petreaus. “It does not mean we have to do it all and we should not. We want Iraqis fighting on the front line, fighting for their country. We want them to do the political component, reconstruction, restoration of basic services. But at the end of the day, we have to lead and it has to be comprehensive.”  Petreaus also talked about technology changes in the Army and the future of paratroopers, with the retired general saying there will always be a need for those special individuals though their role may change. While in Toccoa, Petreaus also toured the Currahee Military Museum dedicated to the paratrooper units that trained at Camp Toccoa before serving in World War II and he ran Currahee Mountain, just as those World War II paratroopers did, adding that he was running in the footsteps of extraordinary individuals.