As a person, who graduated at the turn of the century, I've had many classmates, whom have spent time in Afghanistan. Some, who were even the first "boots on the ground" before the American people knew we were having operations in Afghanistan. I appreciate their service, along with many other posters, who have served. I just want to share a classmate's "stream of consciousness" in a social media post.
Dear President Joseph Biden
Allow me to introduce myself, I am {name}. I served as a paratroop infantryman in the elite 82nd Airborne Division during all of my combat tours. The first tour was OEF2 before the Iraq invasion ever took place. My unit 2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment received orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
I watched like everyone else on the morning of 9-11 when Americans jumped to their deaths from skyscrapers rather than burn to death. Our then President, President George W. Bush told the Taliban, give up Bin Laden, or face the US Military’s might. The Taliban made the decision they would harbor known terrorist and provide a safe haven for them to train and plan, the US sprung into action.
I was deployed and landed in the middle of the night at Kandahar Airfield. 3-4 days later my platoon and another in my company would receive a call of Special Forces soldiers pinned down in the Spin Boldak mountains, near the Hindu Kush. The goal was for us, the Quick Reaction Force for the region, to fly in and extract them to safety. Then the 82nd Airborne touched down and quickly gained control of the area. Upon landing the momentum shifted and we owned it. Commanding officers decided, instead of exfilling, we would go on the offensive against the enemy. Al-qaeda and the Taliban assumed we were going to a village nearby and followed us preparing to hit us in the rear. What they didn’t plan on was it getting dark and we knew they were coming. We set up in the plains as they walked down after us not able to see we were in ambush position. When the bulk of them reached the plains we got our first taste of American revenge. The elation we felt on behalf of our country, fighting back was like no other. We had 2 enemy captured and in our inner perimeter, flex cuffed and blind folded. I spoke to them throughout the night via my interpreter as we called in air strikes against their comrades till the sun came up. I’ll never forget the one Taliban Lieutenant telling me he had been a Russian prisoner of war and they would regain control because we were cowards as a country when it came to war. He explained to me he had been fighting since he was 10yrs old. He remarked we could do nothing to him he hadn’t endured but death and relished in the thought. I told him first, President George Bush sent his Regards on behalf of the US. I said he had woefully miscalculated, we will not be the defunk USSR. We were what Russia aspired to be. He laughed and said, you are all the same. We had further “pleasant” conversation the rest of the evening while our machine guns were rocking and air was pounding his comrades keeping them locked in for clean up the next day.
We were allowed to work and it was a swift and easy victory of the corridor to Pakistan. Guess who wasn’t present on that cold January night? A politician!
Many men bled and died and some did both to obtain the objective of removing the Taliban from power, eliminating the terrorist training camps. We held our end of the bargain, we fought, bled and died keeping our end of this deal. I ask now, where is your resolve? Where is your end of the deal? You voted to send me to Afghanistan, did you not vote to see this through? The Taliban ruled, but I found compassion in the people of Afghanistan. Once when we were trapped on a mountain for days with no food or water, we started drinking our IV bags, rationing them as we only had 1 per man, it was to dangerous for helps to come in and reshoot or extract us. It was villagers who came over the mountain to check on us, they had given up a Taliban weapons dump to us. They went back and got us bread to eat and tea to drink. They believed in us, they believed in the US flag patch we wore and we just turned our back on them. They are no doubt dead, probably that entire village as they all eagerly assisted us in our destitute times when we had no more food or water. They wanted freedom, instead what they got for believing in us was death. I remember talking to my translator as we shared stories of being raised in our respective countries, we asked each other tons of “what if” questions. I remember him telling me, “we are finally going to be a real country with a real Army and a real government, like one you see at the summits in New York City. He was referring to the United Nations. I dare think of what has happened to my friend who had an abundance of faith in us and our resolve only to be betrayed. This is not who we are as a country, this all or nothing exit was a slap in the face to everyone who fought the enemy there, bled there, left their families to go there for months to a year at a time, who still deal with physical and psychological wounds all these years later, who put it all on the line, who put the work in, only to just equip terrorist with the best military equipment they have ever had. You owe all of us Afghanistan veterans a sincere apology, you owe the people of Afghanistan a sincere apology, you owe our trapped Americans a sincere apology. Mr. President, I have never in my life time been so disappointed in my country. This is yours, you have to own this. You voted for Afghanistan and we soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors gave you the victory over the Taliban you sought with your vote, now, look at what you’ve done with it. This will have negative repercussions for numerous decades if not generations.
Your interview with George Steffanopolis was extremely disturbing to put it as lightly as possible. Your comment about people hanging from planes saying “that was 4-5 days ago” shows your complete disconnect from reality, the country, your soldiers, and overall humanity. I’m equally appalled that as your administration begins finger pointing (mostly at each other), you have doubled down on the greatest military debacle decision in generations that Trump Vietnam. Everything you said would NEVER just a couple of weeks ago
has all come to pass, from helicopters on the Embassy roof to a complete Taliban take over. Where is VP Harris? She was a huge voice on the campaign trail for women and even remarked about women in Afghanistan, now that women are being killed in Afghanistan because a portion of their face was visible, her silence is deafening. Do what’s right by the country, and at this point, the world, you and VP Harris should resign and allow room for someone to salvage whatever can be.
Sincerely,
~A Proud Afghanistan Combat veteran!
Dear President Joseph Biden
Allow me to introduce myself, I am {name}. I served as a paratroop infantryman in the elite 82nd Airborne Division during all of my combat tours. The first tour was OEF2 before the Iraq invasion ever took place. My unit 2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment received orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
I watched like everyone else on the morning of 9-11 when Americans jumped to their deaths from skyscrapers rather than burn to death. Our then President, President George W. Bush told the Taliban, give up Bin Laden, or face the US Military’s might. The Taliban made the decision they would harbor known terrorist and provide a safe haven for them to train and plan, the US sprung into action.
I was deployed and landed in the middle of the night at Kandahar Airfield. 3-4 days later my platoon and another in my company would receive a call of Special Forces soldiers pinned down in the Spin Boldak mountains, near the Hindu Kush. The goal was for us, the Quick Reaction Force for the region, to fly in and extract them to safety. Then the 82nd Airborne touched down and quickly gained control of the area. Upon landing the momentum shifted and we owned it. Commanding officers decided, instead of exfilling, we would go on the offensive against the enemy. Al-qaeda and the Taliban assumed we were going to a village nearby and followed us preparing to hit us in the rear. What they didn’t plan on was it getting dark and we knew they were coming. We set up in the plains as they walked down after us not able to see we were in ambush position. When the bulk of them reached the plains we got our first taste of American revenge. The elation we felt on behalf of our country, fighting back was like no other. We had 2 enemy captured and in our inner perimeter, flex cuffed and blind folded. I spoke to them throughout the night via my interpreter as we called in air strikes against their comrades till the sun came up. I’ll never forget the one Taliban Lieutenant telling me he had been a Russian prisoner of war and they would regain control because we were cowards as a country when it came to war. He explained to me he had been fighting since he was 10yrs old. He remarked we could do nothing to him he hadn’t endured but death and relished in the thought. I told him first, President George Bush sent his Regards on behalf of the US. I said he had woefully miscalculated, we will not be the defunk USSR. We were what Russia aspired to be. He laughed and said, you are all the same. We had further “pleasant” conversation the rest of the evening while our machine guns were rocking and air was pounding his comrades keeping them locked in for clean up the next day.
We were allowed to work and it was a swift and easy victory of the corridor to Pakistan. Guess who wasn’t present on that cold January night? A politician!
Many men bled and died and some did both to obtain the objective of removing the Taliban from power, eliminating the terrorist training camps. We held our end of the bargain, we fought, bled and died keeping our end of this deal. I ask now, where is your resolve? Where is your end of the deal? You voted to send me to Afghanistan, did you not vote to see this through? The Taliban ruled, but I found compassion in the people of Afghanistan. Once when we were trapped on a mountain for days with no food or water, we started drinking our IV bags, rationing them as we only had 1 per man, it was to dangerous for helps to come in and reshoot or extract us. It was villagers who came over the mountain to check on us, they had given up a Taliban weapons dump to us. They went back and got us bread to eat and tea to drink. They believed in us, they believed in the US flag patch we wore and we just turned our back on them. They are no doubt dead, probably that entire village as they all eagerly assisted us in our destitute times when we had no more food or water. They wanted freedom, instead what they got for believing in us was death. I remember talking to my translator as we shared stories of being raised in our respective countries, we asked each other tons of “what if” questions. I remember him telling me, “we are finally going to be a real country with a real Army and a real government, like one you see at the summits in New York City. He was referring to the United Nations. I dare think of what has happened to my friend who had an abundance of faith in us and our resolve only to be betrayed. This is not who we are as a country, this all or nothing exit was a slap in the face to everyone who fought the enemy there, bled there, left their families to go there for months to a year at a time, who still deal with physical and psychological wounds all these years later, who put it all on the line, who put the work in, only to just equip terrorist with the best military equipment they have ever had. You owe all of us Afghanistan veterans a sincere apology, you owe the people of Afghanistan a sincere apology, you owe our trapped Americans a sincere apology. Mr. President, I have never in my life time been so disappointed in my country. This is yours, you have to own this. You voted for Afghanistan and we soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors gave you the victory over the Taliban you sought with your vote, now, look at what you’ve done with it. This will have negative repercussions for numerous decades if not generations.
Your interview with George Steffanopolis was extremely disturbing to put it as lightly as possible. Your comment about people hanging from planes saying “that was 4-5 days ago” shows your complete disconnect from reality, the country, your soldiers, and overall humanity. I’m equally appalled that as your administration begins finger pointing (mostly at each other), you have doubled down on the greatest military debacle decision in generations that Trump Vietnam. Everything you said would NEVER just a couple of weeks ago
has all come to pass, from helicopters on the Embassy roof to a complete Taliban take over. Where is VP Harris? She was a huge voice on the campaign trail for women and even remarked about women in Afghanistan, now that women are being killed in Afghanistan because a portion of their face was visible, her silence is deafening. Do what’s right by the country, and at this point, the world, you and VP Harris should resign and allow room for someone to salvage whatever can be.
Sincerely,
~A Proud Afghanistan Combat veteran!
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