Afghanistan Veterans Discuss Trump's Strategy

We need to really cut bait and call it a war there. We have in place capabilities today to protect us and prevent attacks against the U.S. much better than we did prior to 9/11. We don't need to have troops forward deployed there to protect the U.S. itself. There are other methods. We have other places we need to focus. There are other ways to help Afghanistan besides the U.S. military in country.

Basically we are like the little dutch boy with all of his fingers in the dike, and about a thousand other holes with flowing water all around him. Fixing Afghanistan will not fix the same issue in Pakistan or India or the rest of the middle east. Many of the issues in the region are more systemic issues that need to be address at a more global level.

The reason we don't want to leave is it will feel like a failure and we will ask ourselves why did we even go there all these years only to leave now without success. But it is better now to rip off that bandaid than let it fester another 5, 10, 15, 20 years and really have no success.

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistans plain
and the women come out to cut up your remains
Roll on your rifle and blow out your brains
and meet your GOD like a SOLDIER


Kipling