HONOR THE SACRIFICE, VALOR IN AFGHANISTAN
My son, who grew up in Colorado, is the company commander for marines and sailors on the line at Kabul Airport when the suicide bomber struck. He lost nine of his marines with almost 20 wounded. He was knocked down by the blast but was able to recover and initiate evacuations for the wounded. His unit had saved upwards of 30,000 lives at the Abbey Gate prior to the attack.
I am appealing to all of us in Colorado to help the families affected by this horrible act — those who have lost a loved one, those whose loved ones are wounded, and those who were fortunate enough to have not been injured but are dealing with this terrible tragedy. I know how this has affected our family. I cannot imagine what the families of the deceased and wounded are dealing with.
Fortunately, there is a way we can all have a direct impact. Please consider donating to Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors at taps.org. TAPS’ sole purpose is to provide care for families of fallen military and those dealing with horrific acts like the one my son experienced in Kabul.
You can also volunteer to help Afghan refugees who are resettling in Colorado. Just as those service members who put themselves on the line in Kabul reached out a helping hand to save thousands, we can keep the chain connected by extending our hands here in Colorado.
Greg Ball, Littleton
Re: “Taliban focus on governing after U.S. leaves,” Sept. 1 news story and “What our military accomplished was Herculean,” Sept. 1 commentary
I take exception to a line in the article about the Taliban by The Associated Press. I strongly disagree with the statement that the Taliban “humbled” the U.S. military. I think that characterization of the U.S. military was an unthinking, knee-jerk reaction to the prevailing narrative that the withdrawal was chaotic. This characterization feels like another chapter in the neverending attempts to assign blame, rather than a thoughtful assessment of the U.S. military’s actions in Afghanistan.
The U.S. military fought well and was in no sense defeated or humbled by the Taliban. Our military drove the Taliban out of Afghanistan. They came back because the Afghan military could not or would not defeat them, not because the U.S. military was defeated.
Also, the withdrawal was not a humbling experience for the U.S. military. It was a well-executed mission under extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances. Judging from the video I saw on television, the chaos was outside the perimeter of the airport. I think Rex Huppke got it right in his commentary: “What our military accomplished was Herculean.”
America tried to do something good for the Afghan people, but the effort failed. I do not think we should feel humbled, but rather feel proud that we tried and sorry that we failed. Of course, we should learn from the whole experience.
Henry Nieto, Golden Although the story was written by AP staffers, not Denver Post reporters, I, as a proud veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, feel compelled to comment on the only forum available to me.
It is so disturbing to read comments about the war in Afghanistan by journalists that stated, “Having humbled the world’s most powerful military...” Where have these people been? Don’t they know that American forces in Afghanistan were in a training and support role for years? If American and allied forces had been in an all-out war with the Taliban, the present outcome would not exist. The Taliban humbled the Afghanistan military only after the United States saw the futility of continuing to hold up a corrupt government and their unwilling and traitorous military and decided to withdraw. The world’s most powerful military did not lose this war.
Jose Aguayo, Denver