Leaving Afghanistan

Re “U.S. eyes exit from Afghan war by Sept. 11” (April 14):

So we are finally leaving Afghanistan. Some years ago, I had the privilege of teaching a class at a university in Russia. One day while walking through a small village I met an elderly man dressed in a military uniform, which included a generous supply of combat medals. It is not unusual in Eastern Europe to see old soldiers dressed in their uniforms. I greeted him with the few Russian words I knew. In our short conversation

— he could speak some English — I asked him about his military experience.

He replied that he had commanded a battalion of tanks and pointed out various medals indicating that he had seen considerable combat. I asked him where. He replied, “Afghanistan.” He paused with a faraway look in his eye, then turning to me, in a low voice, he said, “That was the dumbest thing we ever did.”

— Floyd Petersen, Loma Linda