1st Anniversary of the end of the Afghanistan War….….. pp

By Arthur N. Tulak

The cover of this issue of the Commandery News draws our attention to America’s longest war, and its shockingly ignominious end, one year ago, with Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue being the last American soldier leaving Afghanistan on the final military flight departing September 1, 2021, just ten days from The new and old flags of the government Patriot Day. The image is of the Afghanistan National Flag that represented the of Afghanistan reconstituted government following America’s military operations that commenced on October 7, 2001. The flag also represented the many Afghanistan service members who served under that government, as well as the many civilians who supported U.S. Forces and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). When the Taliban took Kabul on August 15, 2021, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's government fell, and the flag of Afghanistan changed to that of the Taliban-controlled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

For Veterans of Afghanistan, the chaotic withdrawal and national shame that accompanied the complete and total Taliban victory at the end of a 20-year U.S. led multinational campaign was very painful. As one story published August 19, 2021 as the chaos unfolded “Veterans of the Afghan war are expressing their anger and despair at the Taliban takeover of the country and the shambolic evacuation effort that has unfolded in recent days as thousands of Afghans and American citizens attempt to flee.” 1 The story also quoted Tom Amenta, who served as a Soldier the 75th Ranger Regiment, with two tours of duty in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004, who reported being full of “anger” and “fury” after seeing the images of the chaotic American withdrawal.2 The images evoked a similar story that Veterans of the Vietnam War experienced, when the world witnessed the final days of the Communist North Vietnam armies invading, and the airlift off the roof of the embassy. In an interview with Todd Hunter writing for DAV magazine, Afghanistan Veteran and Marine named Chris described his reaction to seeing the Chinook flying out of Kabul “I saw that and thought to myself, ‘Afghanistan is my Vietnam now...And that hit me like a ton of bricks.”3 Images of desperate people falling from C-17s and women handing their babies to U.S. Marines over barbed wire filled, and then faded from the front pages. A nationwide poll of Afghanistan Veterans conducted by The Veterans and Citizens Initiative non-profit group in November 2021 revealed that a large majority of these Veterans were “disappointed and angry about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan” and that America left dishonorably.4 Many Veterans of the Afghanistan War experienced alternating phases of anger, depression, and hopelessness, that went on for weeks or longer. These were not limited to rank and file, and Veterans in the ranks of O-6 to O10 also experienced these emotions. Veterans of all ranks and services are angry about the withdrawal, 81% feel disappointed, 73% feel betrayed, 67% feel humiliated, and 48% believe that the War was “a complete failure.” 5. As GEN Ret. Jack Keane observed, Afghanistan Veterans felt “humiliation, frustration, and embarrassment” as the U.S. “surrendered a country to our adversary.”6 The November 2021 poll also showed that a majority of Veterans felt that American society would move on quickly from war” and forget the sacrifices paid by generations of service members in this two decade fight.7 This proved to be true for most Americans, for whom after a week or two, life returned to “normal.” Stories of the deadly and chaotic evacuation were replaced by rising gas prices, food shortages, new COVID19 variants, and the impending war in Ukraine, despite – or perhaps because of – the deep national shame of August 8 These feelings were not confined to just U.S. personnel. Nick Beecroft, a Royal Air Force Officer who served with a Joint UK-Afghan Infantry Unit wrote how the many emblems and mementos of that unit on his wall conveyed the overwhelming message of betrayal. 9

According to statistics provided to Congress, calls to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Veterans Crisis Line have spiked 81 percent since last August. ... It is also perhaps not a coincidence that over the past year, as servicemembers and veterans question the last two decades, there has been a steep decline in the military’s ability to recruit. 10 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has posted on its website’s mental health page this advisory that “Veterans who served in Afghanistan may be experiencing a range of challenging emotions related to the U.S withdrawal from the country and the events unfolding now.” 11 Data from the VA shows that not only has the suicide rate for veterans been 1.5 times higher than for non-veterans, but that this number has increased. The VA provided a list of reactions and conditions that Afghanistan Veterans were facing, and likely would face following the debacle unfolding on television worldwide:

Common Reactions Veterans may experience the following reactions related to the current events in Afghanistan:

• Feeling frustrated, sad, helpless, distressed (including moral distress), angry, or betrayed • Worrying about Afghans who worked with the U.S. military, like interpreters • Experiencing an increase in mental health symptoms like symptoms of PTSD or depression • Sleeping poorly, drinking more or using more drugs • Trying to avoid all reminders or media or shy away from social situations • Having more military and homecoming memories • Questioning the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made

What are the impacts to our National Security?

The House of Representatives produced a 118-page interim report on the chaotic withdrawal, titled “A Strategic Failure.” Summary findings of the report include this important assessment: “The Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the chief of MI-6 all agree the withdrawal is good for America’s adversaries, specifically Iran, China, and Russia.” 12 GEN, Ret. Jack Keane described Afghanistan one year on as having devolved into “sanctuary of terrorism” and a strategic failure. 13 “The very reason we went there, the very reason we stayed there for 20 years, was to ensure that terrorists did not rise again [to] attack the American people, and we’re right back where we started.” GEN Keane added “What did this decision [Biden’s decision to withdraw unconditionally]… It got us the Taliban in charge again, providing sanctuary to al-Qaida.” 14 GEN Keane’s remarks help to explain why many Veterans of this conflict feel that it was all for nothing. The decision that GEN Keane is referring to is the one President Biden made, against the advice of his military advisers, including CJCS GEN Mark Milley, who had “urged Mr. Biden to keep a force of about 2,500troops, the size he inherited, while seeking a peace agreement between warring Afghan factions, to help maintain stability. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin … said a full withdrawal wouldn’t provide any insurance against instability.” Military and intelligence officials told Biden they were concerned about the Afghan army’s capabilities and the likelihood that the Taliban would control major cities.15 Senator Ben Sasse, (R, Neb.), writing for National Review, characterized the retreat from Afghanistan as “our worst foreign-policy disaster in a generation.”16

Sen. Sasse goes on to explain how the national surrender in Afghanistan has had ripple effects that include the Russo-Ukrainian War, and PRC military coercion against Taiwan, both of which are playing out now. Both China and Russia have been quick to warn America’s allies and partners that the U.S. is an unreliable security partner. Said Sen. Sasse, “Their message is simple: Why should Ukraine or Taiwan put any faith in the United States after seeing how Washington has abandoned its allies in Afghanistan?” Writing for The Hill, Laura Sanders and Brett Samuel observed that Asian allies in particular indicated concerns about whether “the quick military exit from Afghanistan could one day happen in their countries.” 17 America’s allies and partners will certainly draw conclusions about the reliability of the United States as a security partner from the experience of others, such as Afghanistan. LTG Ret. Jack Keane called the withdrawal an “unconditional surrender” encouraged Russia to invade Ukraine, Communist China to militarily coerce Taiwan, and Iran to engage in mischief in the Middle East.17 America’s surrender on August 30, 2021, after twenty years of war was an assurance failure that has also caused America’s allies and partners now openly question America’s staying power. In short, America has lost another long war that will cast a long shadow on our efforts to deter war and preserve peace globally.

IN MEMORIAM: service members killed in the Kabul airport bombing in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021. Top Row, from left: 1) Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyo., 2) Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 3) Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence Massachusetts , Middle Row, 4) Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas, 5) Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah, 6) Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska. 7) Navy Corpsman, Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, 8) Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri. Bottom Row, from left: 9) Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Calif.,10) Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee, 11) Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana, and 12) Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif., and; 13) Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Roseville, Calif. https:// www.nytimes.com/article/us-soldiers-killed-afghanistan.html

End Notes:

1. Paul Caine | August 19, 2021, “Chicago Afghan War Veterans Express Anger, Despair at Chaotic Withdrawal,” WTTW News, https://news.wttw.com/2021/08/19/ chicago-afghan-war-veterans-express-anger-despair-chaotic-withdrawal 2. Ibid. 3. M. Todd Hunter, “Common Experiences Bond Vietnam and Afghanistan Veterans,” Disabled American Veterans Magazine, May/June 2022, p. 20. 4. Dave Spiva, March 2022, “Most Vets Say U.S. Did Not Leave Afghanistan Honorably,” VFW Magazine, March 2022, p. 50. 5. William A. Galston Friday, November 12, 2021, “Anger, betrayal, and humiliation: how veterans feel about the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/11/12/anger-betrayal-and-humiliation-how-veterans-feel-about-the-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/ 6. GEN , Ret., Jack Keane, August 30, 2022, “This leaves a lousy taste in the mouth,” Fox News. 6. Spiva, op cit. 7. Amy Mitchell “After The Fall: The Impact Of The Chaotic Evacuation From Afghanistan On America’s Veterans” https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/08/after-thefall-the-impact-of-the-chaotic-evacuation-from-afghanistan-on-americas-veterans/ 8. Nick Beecroft, 24 AAUG 2021, “After Afghanistan, Can the United States Rebuild Trust? https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/24/after-afghanistan-canunited-states-rebuild-trust-pub-85193 9. Mitchell, op. cit. 10. U.S. Dept. of VA, “Mental Health / Coping with current events in Afghanistan,” https://news.va.gov/93472/coping-with-current-events-in-afghanistan/ The webpage accepted comments for 13 days. They are worth reading, as they reveal personal reactions, which are scathing in their criticism of National leadership. 11. House Republican Foreign Affairs Committee Interim Report "A Strategic Failure:" Assessing the Administration's Afghanistan Withdrawal, https://gopforeignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HFAC-Republican-Interim-Report-A-22Strategic-Failure22-Assessing-the-Administrations-AfghanistanWithdrawal.pdf See also, Fran Breyer, 14 AUG, 2022, 'Damning Report on Afghanistan Pullout - WH 'Put Head in Sand' https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/ afghanistan-withdrawal-taliban/2022/08/14/id/1083040/ 12. GEN, Ret. Jack Keane, Fox News, “Nearly 1 year after Afghanistan exit, Gen. Keane says 'we’re right back where we started' in 2001, Keane also slammed President Biden for giving Americans a 'false narrative' of the Afghanistan situation https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nearly-one-year-afghanistan-exit-gen-keane-sayswere-right-back-where-we-started 13. Ibid. 14. New York Post Editorial Board “Media Refuse to Call Biden a Liar on Afghanistan…” https://nypost.com/2021/08/18/the-media-refuse-to-call-biden-a-liar-onafghanistan-despite-the-evidence-unlike-what-they-did-with-trump/ 15. Ben Sasse, August 16, 2021, “Worse than Saigon,” https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/worse-than-saigon/?utm_source=recirc-%5BSCREENSIZE% 5D&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=river&utm_content=native-evergreen&utm_term=second 16. Laura Kelly and Brett Samuels, August 22, 2021, “US credibility with military allies at risk over Afghanistan pullout,” https://thehill.com/policy/ international/568833-us-credibility-with-military-allies-at-risk-over-afghanistan-pullout/ See also TK Arun, August 26, 2021, “Can you trust the US as an ally, after Afghanistan?” The Federal, https://thefederal.com/opinion/can-you-trust-the-us-as-an-ally-after-afghanistan/ 17. Gen. Keane, “Hard to fathom what Biden did here,” August 15, 2022,, Fox News , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eba4YST7rqs