The fall of Kabul marked an unprecedented victory for the Taliban this August. Many across the world are seeing these events and are shouting their emotions. Civilians and military alike debate over the importance of this 20 year long war and the long lasting effects.
The presence of the United States in Afghanistan has lasted 20 years, 4 Presidents and 9 trillion U.S. dollars. The conflict in Afghanistan was not limited to just US forces. It involved many NATO countries, including France, Britain, Canada and dozens of others.
After President Biden announced the total US withdrawal in May, the world was stunned just how quickly the Taliban achieved complete control over all the Provinces. The news has highlighted many opinions of the actions of the US Military, but how do real veterans feel about this rapid evacuation?
The town of Boone, North Carolina is small, but is a hotspot for many former servicemen seeking rest and relaxation in the Appalachian mountains. Today a few local Veterans have offered to put in how they feel about the situation.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Wes Young served in the US Military for 22 years now serving as a JROTC instructor at Watauga High School. Young served in various roles in the Military from a Tank Commander to working and NORAD and teaching at west point. Young also served in Bosnia and Kosovo for Peacekeeping operations, and to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. He often worked with local forces and while he did not serve with Afghan forces he understood the similarities between the warfare in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Young said, “I am disappointed, certainly, but not surprised. In my humble opinion, the complete and sudden collapse of the Afghan army, police, and government validates our decision to leave, and I don’t think there was ever going to be any different outcome, whether we withdrew our forces fifteen years ago, or fifteen years from now.”
Young’s sentiment is not alone, Owen Gray, also a former member of the Iraq war, felt that the evacuation was always going to be the most difficult part of the operation.
“We were there for too long and couldn't continue to stay there forever without a clear mission, so we had to leave. But leaving was always going to be a messy thing to do, especially since a lot of the turmoil can be traced directly back to our actions,” said Gray.
Gray also stated that even though the United States has withdrawn, the after effects of their presence will be felt many years in the future. Gray said, ``Mostly, I'm sad that we haven't done more to help the people that helped us and are now facing terrible treatment at the hands of the Taliban.”
The military involvement in these countries may have had unintended consequences.
”If anything, we may have made the world more dangerous for Americans because our presence there radicalized many more people to join terrorist organizations. Also, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have caused an entire generation of American soldiers to suffer from PTSD and other mental and physical problems. To have caused so much turmoil and anguish for a war that was unnecessary is wrong on so many levels',” Gray said. “I don't feel that all of my time there was wasted. I got to serve with some incredible men and women, a number of whom are my best friends to this day”.
During the later years of the war in Afghanistan, (then) Captain Micheal Dubrule served as a staff advisor from US Central Command for a few short stays. Dubrule stated that the conditions were dangerous, fear of ambushes or roadside bombs was common.
When asked about his interactions with the local Afghani people Dubrule stated, ”I found both groups of people to be kind, giving but guarded in how they dealt with Americans. My general impression is that they were very aware of the reality that America would not be staying long term and therefore they tended to hedge their bets with regards to supporting our well intended plans to help them democratize. Both groups are survivors first, their lives are on the line daily.”
Dubrule felt that it was time for the US to take a step away from direct combat but maintaining special operators would have been prudent. He said,“Ultimately the way we departed was poorly planned and executed, Marines fought for the men and women on their right and left. Questioning the politics or the right or wrong of the decisions behind the mission distracts from keeping each other alive and safe.”
Soldiers who served in these conflicts tend to keep the mission as close to the front of their minds as possible.
Dubrule said, ”The mission in Afghanistan was to destroy the enemy who attacked us on 9/11, it was never to make Afghanistan a functioning democracy, regardless of what it turned out to be I and every other man and woman who have worn the uniform would gladly go back if a threat like the one that attacked us on 9/11 emerged there again.”
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