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

We didn't understand how the society worked there when we went. I believe that we did a good thing there and completed our mission. We did need to pull out but it should've been better organized than the way it was done.

The culture in Afghanistan is much different than ours and we really didn't appreciate it. I only say that because we tried to make a government like ours which wouldn't work in this situation. We tried but it still wouldn't work. But as I said we did complete our original mission which was to take the war to the people who attacked us on 9/11, but we just couldn't leave the area in a total mess, which we ended up doing now.

As I originally said it should have been better planned than with what happened.

20 years of blood and treasure down the drain. Thanks trump.

Although I never served in Afghanistan (I was OIF), it breaks my heart to see this.

I was only Iraq but my father was Vietnam vet n I see similarities between Afghanistan and Vietnam. As supply specialist I feel it is a waste of time resources and troops. In my view they are same except the location and climate. Has anyone learned from history Afghanistan has been meddled with for as long as I know. Russian could not control the region so it's doomed to repeat alot. Learn from history and what there is to learn. Don't repeat same ones.

I did a tour over there 2011-2012. My unit had 4 KIA and another Soldier took his life. Part of me is disappointed, particularly by the fact it took less than two weeks for the Taliban to return to power. It's like their losses were in vain.

But it's balanced out by the fact we were trying to change a country that had been that way for a lot longer than 20 years. We tried to show them a new way, but either they were unable or unwilling to make that change.

Ultimately it's up to them. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

"What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?" I think the better question is: How do we get our people (Americans and loyal Afghani's) out of Afghanistan immediately?

I served in Afghanistan long enough to make some friendships that I deeply care about. I've written numerous SIV letters in support of my Afghani comrades' SIV packages being submitted to the U.S. Dept of State. However, the US Dept of State doesn't appear to be responding. Furthermore these guys , who were loyal and helpful to US forces in Afghanistan and have their papers in order, are being turned away by the Marines at Kabul Airport. WTF is going on?!

Is anybody having any luck with the State Dept?

How do I get in touch with the guys at Task Force Dunkirk?

I want to honor CW3 Eric Totten who was killed in 2006. I served with him in Afghanistan 2002/2003. My prayers to the family. My heart breaks as I can't imagine what they are reliving. Just know it was an honor serving with him.

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/.