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

I can never get a good grasp on what to call the Dem's worst atrocity. Do we call it Hillary Clinton's lack of response in Benghazi? Or perhaps Biden's withdrawal from the region, leaving not just very valuable equipment behind for the enemies to seize, but also our personnel?! Is this to be our modern-day Bay of Pigs?

Our troops are trained well. And for the most part, they are equipped well. Our troops have our allegiance, our faith, and our moral doctrine to back up upon. But I ask: Do the Afghans? Will they rally to their own defense? Will they fight for their own Independence Day? Will they fight for their freedoms, against their own tyrannical oppressors? Or will they wallow back down into their old lifestyles, hoping another Hero will come save them, while not becoming their own heroes by fighting for themselves?

We fought alongside many of them for many years. Hopefully they will now continue their own fight. If Democracy doesn't succeed over there after we leave, at least we can honestly say that it wasn't becuase of our lack of assistance.

Sorry to say your feelings don't mean nothing.

[Author's note: I had originally replied to SSG Madden's post in October, 2021. He had asked me to add it to this discussion post, and I am only now just responding. My apologies for the belatedness.]

It's a tragedy and a travesty both at the same time. We don't have a lot to show for 20 years of irregular and asymmetrical conflict in a place that's rightfully known as the Graveyard of Empires. Did we do some good there? We certainly did. Do we need to change some business practices and do some serious soul-searching before we engage in any further, open-ended, ill-defined conflicts? Yes, we absolutely need to do that. It in no way, however, diminishes the sacrifices and service of the men and women, both in and out of uniform, have contended with over the last two decades.

The ANA were garbage. No real discipline. Barely soldiers. Afghanistan has always been a tribal nation & will always be it. They probably will never be a democratic nation. But the events that happened that day are a betrayal to everyone that served & gave their lives there.
A planned withdrawal I think we all could have lived with. Not leaving civilians there. Brining out our allies that helped us. Those things should have been done. Then we could have left. All done without the loss of life.

While the loss of American lives, followed by the way we withdrew, pissed me off, we needed out. I don't think it was done correctly, but I don't know if there was a correct way to do it. The longer we stayed the more we became the occupying enemy. Just like the Maurya Empire, the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great of Macedon, Rashidun Caliphate, the Mongol Empire led by Genghis Khan, the Timurid Empire of Timur, the Mughal Empire, various Persian Empires, the Sikh Empire, the British Empire, and the Soviet Union before us. Most of the population does not care who is running the country so long as they can herd their goats, farm their land, sell their wares, or grow their poppies. Whoever runs the country is Insha'Allah.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frequent_Wind#:~:text=Operation%20Frequent%20Wind%20was%20the%20final%20phase%20in,during%20the%20last%20days%20of%20the%20Vietnam%20War.

Praying for all our Active duty and veterans of that ERA

I'm not at all surprised - guess we didn't learn anything from Vietnam! Just sad this is happening, but it was inevitable. We should have left 10 years ago after we accomplished our mission. I'm afraid this was going to happen no matter when we pulled out or no matter how long we stayed, and it is not the job of the United States to babysit/take care of other countries indefinitely!!!

I feel the same way that I did when we pulled out of Vietnam. I feel down, defeated, and basically worthless. Like don't we ever learn? Why can't we ever win? I get sick watching the civilians struggling to get out. I just can't believe what I see.

Another Viet Nam !