What are your feelings on the Afghanistan withdrawal?

LTC Orlando Illi — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 08:58:50 -0400

Feelings about Afghanistan withdrawal

Response by SSgt Kurt Boyer made Aug 19 at 2021 9:39 AM

SSgt Kurt Boyer — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 09:39:07 -0400

After having spent 5 years in the “sandbox” between Iraq and Afghanistan, I can say in that region of the world that change comes so slowly that it’s almost un-measurable. It took hundreds of years to be what it was before we got there. It’s not going to be changed that much in just 20 years. I just feel bad for the generation there that has never known or had to deal with the repression and suffering that is about to come. They don’t deserve it.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 19 at 2021 9:57 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 09:57:12 -0400

In the immortal words of GySgt Highway, "It's a clusterfuck, sir."

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Aug 19 at 2021 9:57 AM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 09:57:16 -0400

We did it wrong. If we were going to leave, civilians and those we committed to should have been out first before our troops left.

Response by MSG George Hernlen made Aug 19 at 2021 10:02 AM

MSG George Hernlen — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:02:21 -0400

This was totally avoidable and Biden ignored what he was told. Angry, sad, ready to pull my kit out of the box and go back. Take Kabul back. It was ours and he gave it up for no good reason. I’ve lost all respect for him, Biden. So many will die because of this fuck up. I have to quit here it makes me so angry

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 19 at 2021 10:04 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:04:28 -0400

Total cluster f__ __ K, piss poor planning if they even had a plan, someone with a bunch of stars needs to answer for this and I say start with Miley.

Response by PO2 Nathaniel Miller made Aug 19 at 2021 11:29 AM

PO2 Nathaniel Miller — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:29:16 -0400

We have (according to a quick Google search) about 320,000 service members in Europe, and another 80,000 in Japan and Korea. So of our 1.3m total active duty members, nearly a third are OCONUS, and mostly in countries that were not our allies when we first arrived. We had dwindled down to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, but trained the ANA to fight with US/Coalition support. From everything I've seen it sounds like all of our 20 years of training them to care for themselves, was predicated on being able to call in close air support and artillery when needed. What we, the Afghans, and everyone else needed was a solid plan for a transition, time to adjust training, and for the time table to not be dictated by former leaders or the enemy. We promised the people who attacked us at Pearl Harbor we would defend them indefinitely. Can we not now promise the Afghan people that we will have their backs? Biden spoke of "over the horizon" capabilities. Why can't anyone come out and pledge that there will forever be an American boot eternally in search of terrorists? Why could we not pledge that in our own national interest we would not allow the Taliban, or any other extremist group, to gain strategic control of lands and resources, capable of developing a national threat?

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Aug 19 at 2021 12:10 PM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:10:57 -0400

I have some thoughts, I thought the Bush administration passed legislation to allow translators in, 20 years later it is still jacked the frack up? Fault: The American Politician (all of you in Washington, from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave down for the last 4 administrations). Americans in Afghanistan...what part of "were leaving didn't you understand? Fault: American Citizens and Politicians Failure of the Afghan military: Fault Previous President for fracking them over "making a deal," with the Taliban. Well your deal fracked a lot of people. Afghan's corrupt leadership, American military leadership telling us they were ready (ready for what Girl Scout smore campouts?).

Response by PO2 Mike Vignapiano made Aug 19 at 2021 12:19 PM

PO2 Mike Vignapiano — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:19:59 -0400

What a cluster. How can no one have foreseen this? It's exactly what happen with Iraq. The Afghan Army relied on us for the past 20 years. Removing us all at once, you knew NATO forces were going too). They were scared when the Taliban's full force pounced. We should've withdrew little at a time. 10%, maybe 20% every 2-4 weeks. Now we're sending more troops back. Now we're spending more $$$. Now we have thousands of Americans trapped there.
I believe what Charlie Kirk said, that Biden "wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omar’s to come to America to change the body politic permanently." The left don't care about the deaths happening or the suffering that's occurring nor will come to the millions when the Taliban is unleashed on the world. All they care about is holding onto power here in the US for as long as possible and they will stop at nothing, not even being the root cause of millions of deaths throughout the world due to the terrorism that will now happen throughout the world due to allowing the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan. The term DEMONRATS has never been more true. When Geraldo Rivera blasts Biden, Harris and the Democratic party, you know the gates of hell has been opened and Biden opened it.

Response by SPC Halle Henderson made Aug 19 at 2021 12:22 PM

SPC Halle Henderson — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:22:32 -0400

I feel that it's time we lost a lot of people,for a sinceless cause, that country been in crisis and civil war since the beginning of time.i understand the meaning of the mission, But who are we to judge,our country is in disarray we need to clean up our own backyard, while we trying to cut the neighbors.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 19 at 2021 2:35 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:35:37 -0400

I never served in Afghanistan, so I have less of a perspective. I do draw on those I know who have been there, as well as what we see in public reports, and of course the media which is usually skewed.

From what I know and have observed we have failed in our withdrawal, or there really was no plan to begin with. As for the war... We are to blame in part on not coming up with a true purpose beyond some broad objectives, and additionally not preparing the ANA well enough for our departure which resulted in them losing logistics and intelligence support.

Additionally the Afghan government and military is to blame for a variety of reasons among which are corruption, abuse of Civilians and lower ranking Soldiers, failure to pay their Soldiers resulting in the sale of military equipment and increased support for the Taliban and similar terrorist organizations. As a side note, I find it interesting that they boasted around 1,000 or more general officers but had no strong rank structure advancement for the enlisted Soldier. Not unlike the British model used by many militaries around the world.

Finally, after 20 years we have done little to anything to truly influence the culture of the Afghan people as is evident by how quickly their society fell to a force of 80,000 or so Taliban. They do not have the will to throw off the shackles of anyone who chooses to oppress them.

For these reasons it is enough for us to leave them to their own devices, the withdrawal however is as evident a failure in planning. There are too many variables not accounted for including Americans who may not be able to leave the country unmarked if at all let alone interpreters, approved Afghans, and any third country contractors that aided us.

Response by SPC Paul Valnes made Aug 19 at 2021 8:11 PM

SPC Paul Valnes — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 20:11:31 -0400

Disaster, this is not even a good way to give an answer but i think the president and all his men are "dont give a shix people". this puts our country in real danger to say it nicely. Not to mention the rotten death the people left behind are going to have real soon most likely. you will probably be able to view it on facebook, beheadings, impaling, burning alive, the govt may be able to block us or our little hero Mark Suckerberg will deciede not to let it show.

Response by SGT Wayne Grindstaff made Aug 19 at 2021 8:24 PM

SGT Wayne Grindstaff — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 20:24:00 -0400

When RVN ended I was shocked having been 11Bravo there. But this, give me a break. We have to hear how British special forces are going about the country getting their citizens out. And our citizens have to hope they can get to the airport. WTF has this country turned into. Pissed is an understatement.

Response by SP5 Felix Girard made Aug 20 at 2021 1:24 AM

SP5 Felix Girard — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 01:24:37 -0400

Even a PFC could have figured out civilians first, then equipment and troops last ... and secure the Embassy or destroy it. The whole operation was a slap in the face of every American.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Aug 20 at 2021 5:38 AM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 05:38:09 -0400

My hope is that the plan for the withdrawal was planned by the executive branch ignoring input from the military. It is as though the Air Force was Uber and the security forces sent in were intended to be doormen and ticket takers.
The attitude toward those who cooperated with us is a repeat of Biden's attitude during the fall of Saigon as described in this article. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/afghanistan-debacle-biden-second-saigon-moment
I'm confident I could have gathered a few recent graduates from recruit training and come up with a better plan.

afghanistan-debacle-biden-second-saigon-moment

Response by Cpl Henry Busby made Aug 20 at 2021 9:32 AM

Cpl Henry Busby — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 09:32:03 -0400

As I read about the evacuation and people tossing around blame, I look back at all the other evacuations that have occurred throughout our engagements abroad and try to find one that was carried out without many hitches. Saigon, Iran and others all had their complications. We all do our armchair general thing, but most mission as we all know, have SNAFUS,

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Oct 24 at 2021 4:33 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 16:33:44 -0400

Since we pulled out, zero American servicemembers have died over there. We ended a 20+ year war, with over 2,000+ casualties, with only 13 casualties in the effort.
Every day that passes without another American servicemember dying over there is a resounding success.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 26 at 2021 7:07 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 19:07:21 -0400

I want to know who tells TRANSCOM in their Air Flow planning who are all the American citizens in the country and where are they located? Did the State Dept work with the military in regards to this matter? If I was the TRANSCOM Commander what are my facts and assumptions for Air Flow planning?