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

In one sense, we did not accomplish the mission
BUT - there was no mission.
In war time - we should demand unconditional surrender.
if ii takes 10 divisions to accomplish the mission - send in 15

I was there twice and quite frankly thought we could never win this war. The problem is our elected leaders will not let the military do what it's supposed to do. Instead they establish these ridiculous rules of engagement that many times tied our hands.

During World War II, Eisenhower and McArthur's hands weren't tied. Their job was to defeat the enemy and we did. Politics started to get involved in how we fight wars during the Korean war. Truman fired McArthur because he spoke the truth. We had the North Koreans and the Chinese on the run, but when they crossed back over the 38th Parallel, he was told to stop pursuing them. That allowed them to regroup and resupply and come back across once again.

The wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan have so much in common. I remember the fall of Saigon very well. I was stationed at Ft. Eustis and watched it on the news. All the Vietnam veterans in my company were pissed.

My deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 was to front line train the Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan Border Patrol (ABP). We had about 200 Asian Security Group (ASG) personnel and 100 local national workers, interpreters/translators to be managed by about 75 US troops. My experience has given me a very cynical view of the Afghan people which I won't delve into. Because of that experience I predicted for years that the Afghan government would fall 24 hours after a NATO/US pullout. The fact the Afghan government lasted 11 days deserves a golf clap.

To my fellow Afghan veterans I have this: we did our jobs. It doesn't matter if you were a grunt, cook, MP, engineer, or a human resource specialist that never threw on your armor. We did the job required of us. Those that were injured, perished there, or fighting the war that followed them home did their jobs too. Their lives were not in vain and should never be forgotten. Never let the poor decisions by politicians and politically motivated ranking service members detract from the mission you did and accomplished.

The whole thing is disgusting, and now the Taliban are holding Americans hostage until the US Government recognizes them a legitimate! Unbelievable how did we get here, who is going to pay for this? Someone needs to be held accountable and not just a single someone either.

No one can ever know if we would have had future attacks whil the country was under control, what we do know is the is no evidence that any attacks, large or small that have been based out of the country. As we have Military deployed around the globe for strategic reasons, this was as well. I would venture to bet that no Intel professional who has been a part of the data mining and analysis thinks it was wise to give this up.

I won’t drone on, the force that should have remained would have been in an advisory/air strike control team. The numbers in the low thousands. I will say that not staying and providing over watch for the Afghan Army was a mistake that we will pay for for years to come.

God Bless our Service Members, and our country. I pray I am wrong.

I believe we lost our way. We can’t establish American culture and colonize foreign lands. We can help them, but if it takes 20 years, what are we really doing? Our national security interests have been global. With today’s technology and the belief that we should interfere only when there is a national defense reason. Otherwise, diplomacy and aide to build allies. Invest our blood and money wisely with the foundation that we use full force in targeted missions. Colonizing drains resources and creates enemies. Ask the British or the Russians. I’m glad that Biden ended what Trump started. It is never pretty when you leave. There is a sadness and feeling of loss, but we were as successful as we could ever hope for considering the context and culture. This was not a wasted effort or mission. We gave them a chance to change. Let’s hope they figure the rest out.

If a terminator tells me he can kill off the rats in my house for only $50, GREAT! If I come back to find he burned my house down, well, I'm a little less enthusiastic about his methodology. It's not the "what" but the "how" and it's ramifications that disturb me.
I believe we had two opportunities to leave with our heads held high:
1. Under "W" after the Taliban were driven out, Al Qaeda was in shambles and OBL was scurrying away.
2. Under BHO right after the SEALS put a hole in OBL's head.
I'm not surprised that terrorists have taken it back over; Hell, it's their f***ing country and the non-terrorists can't seem to hold it therefore, so be it.
I fear the 2020's post-Afghanistan military will look like the 1970's Army post-Vietnam military and with China's machinations in the Pacific and in the cyber world, this does not portend a bright next few years.

I still remember this part of our curriculum at Command and General Staff College- civilian leadership of the military. It is difficult to understand, but it would appear that the withdrawal of forces was not becoming of a military operation, almost capitulating to civilian leadership in the wrong areas. I am personally concerned, just as I was when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, GEN Milley testified before Congress that he wants to know what "white rage" caused the January 6, 2021, attack of the Capitol Building. Our military is not a corporate feel good entity, but a well organized and trained machine of war. We are concerned about winning wars, not social experiments. In the Army, we are all green, and when this is violated, then the leadership takes corrective action. Finally, I saw the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, DC, as a total failure of military leadership. Military support of Civilian Authorities is one of the missions we train for, but the degradation of perishable military skills or our National Guard, as well as the improper employment in a law enforcement role, should have heads rolling, just as this embarrassing Afghan withdrawal.

Our brave men and women sacrificed so much, some did not make it through to the end. And for what? For this? I don't disagree with getting out... but the way it was done was lacking strategy... and I am being very generous.

It seems no one in a leadership position in today’s military has ever heard of a thermite grenade. Pull pion as you’re existing the AO. Don’t leave anything sensitive for the enemy to have and/or use.