What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?

I am getting ready psychologically to start writing an article about the difference between stupidity and ignorance. I'm not sure that the original author delineated the ability to think clearly and to learn correctly. There are those of us who are able to learn and absorb recall easier than the rest; there are those who are less able to do so to any great extent. But, for this argument, ignorance is considered innocent. You know that you don't know something, and you admit it. Being stupid is lacking the tools to understand and discuss a situation rationally, and refusing to think, learn and grow. It's also possible that we all go through stages in life when we're not learning and when we refuse to learn.

But if you refuse to learn and to gather information about what you don't know and then find some tools to help understand it, you're stupid. So, when the evidence piles up that you're not quite getting correct, doubling down on what doesn't work is a really lousy way to do business. If you don't think critically about your choices in advisers or in the selection of tools, you're stupid.

When you've got a history -- including a very recent history -- of Country A being able to unite in the general purpose of kicking invaders out, even though when the invaders have gone, you need to take that into account. Then when you have a country that has a history, including a recent history of getting into conflicts and risking more skirting conflicts that ultimately really go south, and then having to leave ungracefully or else stay forever, you need to take that into account in making your decision as well.

The American military is really good at fighting wars that we recognize as such and are willing to kill a hell of a lot of people, destroy a lot of infrastructure, and not confuse Country A with Iowa and expect similar results. As soon as we were looking for justification for actually being in Iraq, we weren't fighting a war any more. When we started paying off warlords to let us play on their territory, we weren't fighting a war any more. So, when Tora Bora ended up with bad guys bodies stacked, the Taliban was no longer in control, and we still wanted to get Bin Laden and associates, we had alternatives besides staying in Afghanistan. The leadership of this nation which seems to bounce around between Better Angels and "a Confederacy of Dunces" didn't want to make that call, and no body with sufficient gravitas and spine stood up to demand something better. So, here we are...

I have nothing but sincere and awestruck at times respect, pride and gratitude for the women and men and dogs who fought these wars -- Afghanistan and Iraq, and for that Syria and Special OPs Warriors doing the same thing. What I do not have is any respect for those who think the exit from Afghanistan is a blot on the national honor. Trump's original exit plan was impossible and largely non-existent. Biden, the most senior person who opposed the Obama surge and did so vehemently, wanted this problem to go away and split the baby between Trump's deadline and infinity. We're arguing about how messy a debacle we would prefer to try and justify.

Like it or not, we are back to the point of needing to figure out what we want as a nation and how we're going to use the military we get. SECDEF Cheney and General Powell in his role as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had a concept 30 years ago. I'd start there. We probably should revisit it, with out all the rosy ideas of a peace dividend.

Pissed off

“What we did MATTERED, it was for something. Those that say we never should have been there speak from ignorance. They haven’t seen the evil that some of us have, thank God we could spare them that...” https://mentalgrenade.com/desert-rust/.

The president totally botched and as far as I'm concerned has no idea what he's doing. It's not him making the decisions. The administration he has are totally woke and have no idea what the real world is

I’ve been there twice. Once several years ago, and I just got back last year from a second deployment. It sucks see everyone’s time go to waste, and how we wasted American lives just to leave it an absolute mess. Those who died for this war I feel have died in vain, we owed them a much better ending for what they had to endure. Such a waste of human life.

We also went over there for the wrong reasons, and are now leaving the country in shambles. The Taliban is taking over and quickly. Very few seem to be willing to fight for their own country, and now men, women and children will sadly suffer. There was no plan in place to keep them safe from the Taliban, nothing that would actually work. I fear we left them to die. So what was the point of being there? Oh yeah, right… Politics.

After 20 years we could have left better than this! …and to hear we left our own people behind is extremely concerning and alarming. Everything about this is just wrong, and there are too many out there who don’t seem concerned about any of this. Like it’s normal, when it’s not. If we’re okay with leaving our own people behind, what does that say about us? Nothing about this is right. We owed those who died for this war so much more, the families who lost a loved one in the war so much more, the people who’s country we went into for the wrong reasons so much more. This is sad and disturbing in every way.

Anyone local to Lexington KY area, let's meetup and discuss this.

With all of these emotions, I have to remind myself — it’s ok to be sad, angry, confused, frustrated, or really, any other feeling. People that haven’t served and haven’t been there may not understand. That’s ok, too. Talk with others — don’t bottle it up. Reach out to a buddy who’s served, talk with a Vietnam Veteran or seek out a support group at a local veteran’s organization — have the conversations. And above all else, stand proud of your service. De Oppresso Liber.

By Herb Thompson

I feel exactly what Thompson said…

Extremely upset! This administration really let everyone down!

There's nothing in this pullout that was done well. It so much looks like Saigon to this Vet.

Yet I can't imagine us not having to pull out and admit defeat, not because of anything you or I did, but because of our spineless media, our politicians who are more interested in their personal power than in the lives and pain it costs, and the Hate America scumbags. Arabic is better than English for cursing such scumbags. "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotches of these despicable, spineless, limp-wristed, scum-sucking bottom-feeders."

There was a COL of the North Vietnamese army who later told us that they were sure they were defeated, and would have to give up. Yet every time they thought they would have to slink across the border to China and give up, and article would appear in the MSM which would convince then to hang on another month or two. They won the war because of this.

I believe that if we had announced that we planned to be in the 'Stan for 30 to 40 years, long enough to raise the literacy rate in the country to a civilized level, that we were firmly committed to a peaceful and productive Afghanistan, and no group of bastards was going to talk us out of it, that we could have completed our mission and left 10 years ago, and not leave another pariah state like North Korea in our wake.

At bare minimum, I can't believe we couldn't spare enough thermite grenades to keep the Taliban from getting all our equipment.

Knew this was coming, biden is a weak kneed, suck ass puppet. I believe we are in eminent danger, now that every taliban we had detained, is free, plus they have no telling how much of OUR ordinance. This debacle is his Saigon, but with grave consequences to come.