The Afghan crisis and Vietnam
Anyone who served in Afghanistan feels a pain in their heart as we witness the collapse of that nation. All that Americans sacrificed and fought for appears to be lost. The sadness is palpable. Yet, this pales in comparison to the grief of the families of the 2,312 Americans who lost their lives there and the anguish of the 20,066 who were wounded in action.
During my 30-year Army career, I had the honor of serving in Afghanistan for several tours. I feel the pain of loss as I reflect on those deployments. As director of NATO’s Joint Intelligence Center in Kabul, I led 80 people from 18 nations. One of my most rewarding and memorable tasks in Afghanistan was leading seven relief operations to help Afghan orphans. Today, they are caught amid the chaos and horror of the Taliban takeover.
The Biden administration has completely botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan. There was a better way to end this mission. Biden’s cut and run strategy will prove to be the greatest failure of U.S. foreign policy since the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Once American support was removed, the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces was predictable even to novices.
Sadly, the worst is yet to come. The Taliban victory will trigger bloodshed and atrocities across that war-torn nation not seen since their bloody rule ended in 2001. Reports and videos are already coming out that show retribution, summary executions, and Afghan females being treated as trophies of conquest. Thousands of Afghans who supported the Americans will be singled out for vengeance and execution. This is not unlike what happened in 1975 South Vietnam.
Worse yet, radical groups will once again take up residence in Afghanistan’s mountains and threatened the United States. Thousands of prisoners that include high-value Taliban and AlQaida operatives have already been released.
The end of the Vietnam War cast a long shadow. The deaths of 58,220 of our citizens in Vietnam left a scar that remains in the hearts of so many of our countrymen.
A new generation of leaders vowed to never repeat those failures. These ideals were applied in my first combat experience in Desert Storm in 1991. Yet many of the mistakes were repeated in Afghanistan and Iraq only a decade later.
As vice president, Biden participated in the decision to rapidly withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq. That created a security vacuum filled by the bloodthirsty Islamic State, which committed atrocities not witnessed in the region for decades. The Obama administration turned its back on countless people who were butchered or enslaved. We can only hope that this will not be repeated by the Biden administration in Afghanistan. But there is little hope of that, as our precipitous retreat did not consider protecting the Afghans who served alongside our forces and whose fate is sealed. Has the administration not learned anything?
After two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, it was time to bring that mission to a close. However, it needed to be a phased approach that considered the Afghan National Security Forces’ need for basic support for months to come. Retreating during the height of the annual fighting season is the epitome of madness. The timing could not be worse, and the results were once again predictable.
It’s hard to come to terms with this situation. So much sacrifice and loss seems to be in vain. Yet, fleeting hope remains. Even in the darkest hours, America was not alone in Afghanistan. Our NATO allies and so many other nations stood with us in that long war. We will need those same nations to stand with us once again as we face this new tragic reality.
To the veterans of Afghanistan, I thank you for your commitment and sacrifice. You answered the call after our nation was attacked. I could not be prouder of the men and women who wore the uniform of our armed forces in that remote foreign land. You held back the forces of darkness and gave a generation of Afghans hope.
Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends.” You were willing to give your all for our nation and our people. There is no greater love than this.