Touch base with your military vets that served in the Sandbox.

[T Bone]

Please touch base with the veterans you are in contact with that served in the Middle East.

With the current news of the Taliban re-taking control of Afghanistan, and the U.S. sending over troops to get the VIPs out of the country, there are more than a few nerves being jolted.
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Many who served in Afghanistan, anguish over watching the country turn back to Taliban control.

Some vets, recently discharged are still under "recall" and have received "recall musters". Not recalled, just making sure their contact info is current and the service members are able-bodied. It's jolting for those individuals and their families.

If nothing else, just listen.

 

[rwc101]

Great post. A relative deployed twice to Helmand province and left completely disillusioned. Can't imagine what it's like watching it all slip away.

 

[Addicting]

Great post. A relative deployed twice to Helmand province and left completely disillusioned. Can't imagine what it's like watching it all slip away.

I said when I left that all those connex in Kandahar were going to be miserable to clear when they take them back. Hopefully they just bomb them if it comes to that.

 

[SaskHunter]

This f*cking sucks. Kandahar was Canada's biggest military campaign since Korea. It's hard to remain positive and not think that this was a huge waste of life, time and money, or that I wasted a part of my youth there.

It is what it is, you win some, you lose some. I'm just glad Canada, and allies, are evacuating terps/workers and their families who helped us over there.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The real question is who profited from the $2.2 trillion we spent there?

And yes I feel bad for all the hard working soldiers that gave their service and for too many, their lives only to see this happen.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

Most everyone I know that was there in some point in time is either pissed off, depressed or a combination of the two.

It’s heartbreaking and infuriating.

 

[thomas89]

Lost my brother to PTSD from a combined 27 months of combat deployments there.

Spent 6 months there myself.

Watching the maps of the Taliban overtaking the areas we were in is borderline nauseating.

Oh well, least I get that free meal from Applebee’s once a year.

 

[stealthy_bowman]

They say it’s been 20 years and 2 trillion spent so it’s time to go. Yet it’s been 76 years and we still have troops in Germany (35,000) and Japan (55,000) and there are no issues there actually requiring a US military presence, unlike Afghanistan. Wtf?!?

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

When I was in AFG in 2004, I would have told you this is how it would end. It is heart wrenching, but Afghanistan’s history would tell us it’s inevitable.

I spent my 25th birthday in Herat, Afghanistan, and yesterday, 17 years later (to the day it fell to the Taliban. The crazy part is that on my birthday back in 2004, the Taliban initiated a multi-pronged attack on the city and my small detachment fought alongside thousands of Afghan militia and Ismael Khan. I know many of those same men and IK were fighting this last month to keep their city free. God only knows their fate now….

to those questioning why we were there, or whether we should have remained. The cold hard truth is we were never there for the Afghan people, AQ has fundamentally changed, and the idea of a pro-western government filling a vacuum to prevent a future safe haven for terrorism is laughable, so what should we do?

I have close friends preparing to head in to get the diplomats. Keep them in your prayers please.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

They say it’s been 20 years and 2 trillion spent so it’s time to go. Yet it’s been 76 years and we still have troops in Germany (35,000) and Japan (55,000) and there are no issues there actually requiring a US military presence, unlike Afghanistan. Wtf?!?

The troops we have in GE and Japan have nothing to do with either of those countries…

 

[Deleted member 38069]

That place is where wars are lost from frustration, just ask the soviets! It’s truly a gorgeous country but forever war-torn.

 

[geetar]

God bless all who served over there. I hope you know you mattered even if it doesn’t feel like it now.

 

[SaskHunter]

Lost my brother to PTSD from a combined 27 months of combat deployments there.

Spent 6 months there myself.

Watching the maps of the Taliban overtaking the areas we were in is borderline nauseating.

Oh well, least I get that free meal from Applebee’s once a year.

Very sorry about your brother, war doesn't always stop once you get home.

I have to admit, watching videos of Taliban wandering around FOBs Masum Ghar and Sperwan Ghar, was pretty rough.

 

[Southern Elk]

God bless all who served over there. I hope you know you mattered even if it doesn’t feel like it now.

I’ll echo what geetar said. Remember that there are are many of us who are forever grateful to those who served, even if you don’t see it in the media.

I never thought of how seeing this must make y’all feel. Hang in there. It damn sure isn’t your fault.

 

[Europe]

Please touch base with the veterans you are in contact with that served in the Middle East.

With the current news of the Taliban re-taking control of Afghanistan, and the U.S. sending over troops to get the VIPs out of the country, there are more than a few nerves being jolted.
.
Many who served in Afghanistan, anguish over watching the country turn back to Taliban control.

Some vets, recently discharged are still under "recall" and have received "recall musters". Not recalled, just making sure their contact info is current and the service members are able-bodied. It's jolting for those individuals and their families.

If nothing else, just listen.

Yes, Thank you for posting this and yes, please do let any of the men and women that you know, who has served, how much you appreciate their service to our country.

And dont only thank those who served in "The sand box", but those who served in Korea and Viet Nam as well. I remember many who served in Korea asking themselves, why ?. And those who served in Viet Nam not only wondered, why ?, but many of them came home to hostel crowds, so they definitely questioned the purpose of their service to our country.

And now Afghanistan. IMHO, the original reason for going ( 9-11 ) was a better reason than why we went to Korea and Viet Nam.

But regardless of the reason or whether I agreed with it or not or even the outcome, the men and women who served our country deserve our support and appreciation.

To all Hunt Talk members who have served their country. THANK YOU !

 

[Mountain Man]

The implosion of the ANDSF and GIRoA is an unfortunate in our face reminder that the investment in that country was fruitless. As @Europe stated, the reason the US and it’s allies deployed there was a very good reason. At the least the US should have left after Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011. That was the distinctive departure from a worthwhile cause to a waste of effort the 10 years since.

As difficult as this development is, I personally feel that it is better to be happening now instead of yet another decade from now (or even longer). All that money, equipment, and training for the ANDSF has resulted in uncontested surrendering of cities. There is literally no return on investment so it is time to stop succumbing to a sunk cost fallacy.

 

[Nameless Range]

I have personally known two young men my age who took their own lives after serving in Afghanistan. I know many more who served there.

After reading a pile of articles this morning, I just know I cannot understand what we did there and how this may be affecting certain Americans. It sure feels like a ghastly tragedy made from thousands. One thing I do understand without a doubt is that the contingent of Americans who are veterans deserve our love and support.

It’s a good reminder T Bone.

 

[SFC B]

From the instant I stepped foot on the ground there I was sure of one thing. There was NEVER going to be a stable, democratic government there without our eternal presence. The next thing that became painfully obvious that those Afghans in the military and police forces were PAINFULLY inept. I served there with a Tier 1 special operations unit and we had a detachment of the absolute "highest level" Afghan forces. I would not have let them guard a lemonade stand in the suburbs FFS. I told folks then, and it has been shown to be true, is that the ONLY way to solve the human problems there is to turn the entire country into a sheet of glass.

For perspective, one of our teams was once laughed at by the wife of a high value target we had apprehended. When the terp and CST asked her why she was laughing she said that our approach was comical. That under the ROEs in place at that time (Obama, 2012) she knew we would have to turn him over to the Afghan after 2 weeks and he would be home in +- 6 months and back at it. She told us that if we actually wanted to change the country what we needed to do was to kill EVERY MALE over 5 years old......including her own sons. She had by that point the males had all been so severely indoctrinated there was no hope. Think about that one for a while, coming from a MOTHER.

War should not be conducted by those with no skin in the game- politicians. A very good read on the nature of conflict and application of force is the treatise "On War" by Clausewitz. I will never cease to be disappointed by elected representatives.

 

[LopeHunter]

They say it’s been 20 years and 2 trillion spent so it’s time to go. Yet it’s been 76 years and we still have troops in Germany (35,000) and Japan (55,000) and there are no issues there actually requiring a US military presence, unlike Afghanistan. Wtf?!?

I am 60 and some things are not clear to me. We treat Cuba as an enemy today but not Vietnam. Both are non-Democratic. Cuban refugees have special treatment to this day compared to immigrants that float up to our shores from any other country on a boat. It is as if there is a voting block in Florida that has out-sized influence.

We spend 20 years in Afghanistan to attempt to stabilize the Middle East yet Africa has destabilized zones the entire time and we are not sending in 1000s or troops and trying to nation-build. It is as if the Saudis have out-sized influence.

We have troops in Germany, Japan and South Korea though there is minimal disruption of our efforts by citizens of those countries.

The majority of the Middle East does not want us "saving" them. When someone shows you who they are, you should listen. Lebanon told us. Iran told us. Iraq told us. Afghanistan told us. Iran hates Saudis so most events are proxy. Many of the neighbors hate Israel.

I do not think Africa has many counties wanting us to save them. Nor Mexico. Nor Central America. Nor South America.

South Korea and Taiwan seem to embrace our efforts or maybe they tolerate our efforts.

China is not sending troops into countries. They are building islands to expand their footprint further into the ocean. They are making "loans" to build railroad networks and improve harbors that will lead to forfeiture of assets in other countries. They are leasing blocks of agriculture land. They are buying food processors. This strategy appears to be bearing fruit without using a tank nor sacrificing their youth on foreign soil.

Russia is invading and setting up proxy governments within prior USSR countries. When Putin is gone, likely will be another collapse as Puitin rules with an iron fist to control all aspects of Russia.

Perhaps America should consider embracing the Chinese policy of how to "invade" and leave the policing actions and stabilizing and nation-building to someone else. Again, Africa has been allowed to burn so maybe is best to let the Middle East burn. We fail to stabilize other countries after we blow up a lot of stuff while acting like the big brother who knows best.

I thank all the military that tried to do a good thing. This failure is not on your shoulders. You answered the call. You have my full respect. Peace be with you.

 

[SaskHunter]

Welp, may as well laugh about it... You could easily change pen for bottle of water or any MRE item.