DaWg44 wrote:
Slat, I’m waiting for your opinion on what is actually happening over there. I heard on the radio Obama/Biden is sending 5,000 instead of 3,000 troops to fight against all kinds armament we left.
DaWg44: First off, the above article states that President Biden will deploy 5,000 troops to cover/protect our withdrawal. So if you read it, that shouldn't come as a surprise. And, just as we left mountains of military gear & equipment (to include armaments) in Viet Nam, it comes as no surprise we might do it again. Disappointing, of course, but not surprising.
As fellow Vets and I sat and watched on TV the debacle of our unceremonious and shameful departure from Viet Nam, we shed a few quiet tears for ourselves and especially the ones we lost during that long, frustrating war. I most remember the dumping overboard and ditching of helicopters from US Navy ships. The Vietnamese didn't hold their own, either, when we left there. This conflict in Afghanistan has been just as frustrating and painful to watch unfold, especially as of late. Yet, we should'a left there years ago.
Although our entry into Afghanistan was justified by the 9/11 attacks, it should never have been carried on for 20 years. As President Biden suggests above, it has been mishandled in varying degrees by the three previous administrations and IMO, it is time to get out. The next to last paragraph of the release states more than enough reason(s) for leaving. The Afghan government and military have not shown the will to sustain what we had provided for them: an opportunity to stand on their own. I, for one, am tired of America's young men/women dying in a futile attempt to help Afghanis establish & form their own nation, independent from the Taliban. I don't believe they possess the desire or willpower to do so. If that's true, as the Taliban have shown a greater sense of nationality, let them have what they have fought so hard to have: control over their own country & people.
We cannot continue to be the world's policemen. I saw enough deaths of buddies during my tour in 'Nam. I do not care to envision my grandchildren being deployed to any part of the world for anymore never-ending conflicts. So, all things considered, I pretty much agree with what is stated overall in President Biden's press release.
Years ago, my granddaughters watched 'We Were Soldiers', the great Viet Nam war drama starring Mel Gibson. As the credits were rolling, my son's four daughters came up to me and took me completely by surprise when, with tears in their eyes, told me they were glad I made it home from "that war"..." 'cause", they said..."we wouldn't be here if you had died." I hid my own tears, realizing that around 60,000 mostly young men died in that war, many if not most never having had children, much less grandchildren/great-grandchildren. The number from Afghanistan is close to 2400, I believe. Far too many Americans have died needlessly fighting for countries that don't fight for themselves.
Having been blessed by surviving Viet Nam, I want other young men and women to be blessed with as much of life as I have had. They may not reach that goal if they have to fight for others who haven't the desire to fight for their own country or themselves. Let's work to limit fighting wars to those of preserving our own nation...without being isolationists. There have too many lives lost and blood shed needlessly. Enough is enough .
I close with a quote attributed to Will Rogers...
"Now, if there is one thing we are worse at than any other nation, it is to try and manage somebody else's affairs"
P.S. Sorry for the late response, DaWg44, but my wife and I watch a movie almost every night together, so I was predisposed since about 7pm or thereabouts. As I obviously have no personal thoughts or opinions but only that of others, I offer my apology for the delay.