Do you think the withdrawal of our troops and how quick the Taliban were able to take control affect the mental health of some veterans?

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 19:36:25 -0400

Many coming home have deep scares from the the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And many veterans are dealing with mental health issues. Granted veterans coming home from these wars had much more help then returning Vietnam veterans but the end result is still very similar from the many years of combat. Dealing with the lose of brothers and sisters and their own demons. Will the withdrawal now cause more deep seeded mental problems? Are many going to question what it was all for? Will we be able to help these veterans? I hope those in need will reach out for assistance if they need it.
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
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Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Aug 19 at 2021 7:46 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 19:46:15 -0400

We were occupying Afghanistan with 2,500 troops opposing 300,000 Taliban. Who are they kidding.We could have had ten times that many and no stood a chance. Just think how many Americans could have benefited from those trillions. We are still wasting trillions and protecting lots of oil wells.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Aug 19 at 2021 9:12 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 21:12:51 -0400

NO, does nothing for me. Being disappointed by the government is nothing new

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 19 at 2021 9:57 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 21:57:19 -0400

I’ve spoken to several veterans just in the last week or so who are very upset, lost, and disillusioned by how it all went down. I personally lost some high school friends over there. The civilian in me gets angry about it, but the soldier in me accepts that when you sign your name on the dotted line you accept the mission and do your job. It sucks to lose friends and lose time away from friends and family and see this be the end result, but as I told each patient who felt comfortable with me to take a few minutes and vent to me and share what was going on, you can’t look at the outcome as a failure. If you even made it possible for one child or one woman to get an education or grow up in their early years in somewhat relative peace and stability then you changed lives and made a difference. That is what you have to look at. You have to hunt the good stuff.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Aug 19 at 2021 10:55 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 22:55:11 -0400

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member Did you not receive a DOD/ Health blurb about mental health services NOW available?

Response by SGT Christopher Hayden made Aug 19 at 2021 11:00 PM

SGT Christopher Hayden — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:00:58 -0400

I'm not really sure why any would be upset, shocked, or sad about it. It's like they should have thought anything else was going to happen once we decided to leave. It's been 20+ years and we couldn't get rid of the Taliban. And I doubt anyone really felt like they were making any kind of real change, and if they did, they must have really bought into the sham.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Aug 19 at 2021 11:03 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:03:58 -0400

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USMHS/bulletins/2ed4a0c MSgt Private RallyPoint Member

Talking About Afghanistan – We're Here to Help

Current events in Afghanistan have left many in our community feeling understandably upset. The mental, physical and emotional wounds are deep. You may be wondering about the impact of your sacrifice and service, or the service of those who deployed there.

Response by SGT Ryan Vallery made Aug 20 at 2021 5:32 AM

SGT Ryan Vallery — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 05:32:08 -0400

I think that anyone who didn't see this coming, in light of Iraq and Vietnam, doesn't understand that you can't nation build through military conquest.

I understand those who served at the very beginning of the operation believing in the possibility of change, but somewhere around 2005-2006, it should have been evident that this was an utter failure and the results were going to be catastrophic.

Response by SSgt Richard Kensinger made Aug 20 at 2021 12:03 PM

SSgt Richard Kensinger — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 12:03:32 -0400

Based on 5 years of combat research and ensuing trauma going all the way back to WW Two, my clinical experience confirms the aggravation of their preexisting trauma. All of my research on this topic is published on Research Gate.
Rich