The first time I saw you was in the Khyber pass. You came with your technology, elite fighters fueled by revenge, and the hubris to believe you could disprove history.
This was a war that you didn’t have the stomach to fight. But I’m glad you tried.
We bled you the same way we bled the Soviets in our Holy Land. We bled you the same way the Vietnamese bled you in their home land. We did it patiently and deliberately.
Patience. Something Westerners never learn.
Our history is millennial. We don’t yearn for an early victory when the Infidel ravages our Holy Land. Our victory is celebrated decades from now. We’ve endured, then ravaged every standing military that crossed our borders. Why? How? We’re patient.
In 30 days, we’ll be stronger, richer, and have control over precious natural resources that you need for your pathetic life dictated by comfort. We will have women, riches, land, guns, and ownership of one of the greatest chapters in military history.
You lose.
If you want to try again, we welcome the challenge. You will fail regardless of how much money you burn in our deserts. For pity, here is free advice that may contribute to your future success; should you ever decide to invade again.
You recruit your warriors and supporters from a drug addicted, distracted, disillusioned population that’s obsessed with comfort and entertainment. A population obsessed with altering their mundane reality. Alcohol, marijuana, pills, and our new favorite -- Tide Pods. Every time your doctors prescribe opiate painkillers, you line our coffers with gold. Your population’s thirst for our pristine heroin has never been more lucrative for our warrior tribes. We will keep feeding you poison for as long as you keep your hands out.
If your population wasn’t so spineless, undisciplined, and self-loathing, then you might be able to compile a raiding party with enough tenacity to outthink ours.
Our fighters are born into war. Raised in it. It’s a way of life that evades your “first world” nations. They live a life of such immense misery and pain that they’re willing to fight barefoot in the snow for the opportunity to martyr themselves. They yearn for the opportunity to die. When they do have the blessed opportunity to sacrifice themselves, they sit above Mohammed at the right hand of God. Blessed in Allah for eternity
What honors do your fighters receive? Their empty sacrifice is remembered in the form of a “three day weekend.” The majority of your population uses this sacred time to get drunk and grow more fat as a way to celebrate their fallen warriors. Sadly, we pay tribute to their death more honorably.
The colored pieces of cloth you pin on their chests are similar to the jewelry worn by our women. What good are accolades and vanity if you don’t have the stomach to endure a fight? We don’t offer the burden of healthcare to our fighters as they often want to die for Allah. Your fighters fight to live. Their inability to reconcile the inevitable outcome of our patience leads them to kill themselves. Your medications, counselors and non-profits will never undo the pain and suffering you’ve forced them to endure. It will never remove the pain we’ve caused your broken nation. You are your own worst enemy.
We will give your fighters credit. Some are creative, tenacious, and fierce. They outgun us in every way possible. But again, we simply wait them out. Allah is patient. You cycle them through our Holy Lands every 3 to 12 months for their combat rotations. After their tour is complete, they return to the comfort of their warm beds and endless entertainment. If you left them here, in our Holy Land, with no way out but to win, then you might of have had a chance of success. The longer you poisoned our Holy Land with your presence, your “rules of engagement” only strengthened our position. There is only one rule in war - that is to win.
Your commanders made you fight with your hands tied behind your back. Your rules also confused our fighters too. “We’re clearly the enemy; why are they letting us go?” Thank you for your compassion as it allowed our fighters to kill more Infidels. We began to feel as if your commanders were on our side. We’re thankful your most vicious dogs were never allowed off their leash.
Your showcase Generals make us laugh. You spend millions of dollars flying them around our country, inventing new ways to win while ignoring the guidance of our most capable foes. Your Generals make decisions to minimize risk to their fragile reputation with the ultimate goal of securing a lucrative retirement--jobs with suppliers that fuel your losing force. A self-serving circle that’s built on the backs of your youngest and most naive fighters.
Your retired Generals “earn” tens of thousands of dollars talking to your political, industrial, and financial leaders about “teams, winning, and discipline.” It’s a mockery of the war they refused to fight. It’s a mockery of the Infidel warriors who died in our lands. We urge you to continue following their vacuous personalities so we can further watch your once great nation collapse.
Your statesman and elected officials are spineless, narcissistic, and more cowardly than your Generals. They crave power over you above all else. They come to our country, hide behind blast walls, and only heed the word of the indigenous leader they put in power. I believe your soldiers call this a “self licking ice cream cone.”
They’ve burned billions of dollars in a wasted effort to bring clean water, electricity, business, education, agriculture, and exports to a region that didn’t ask for it. You should have saved yourself the effort and simply given the money directly to us. Don’t worry; your diplomatic friends gave us plenty of your American tax dollars. If you want to give it another shot with your “soft power,” send those with real experience, not fancy degrees and silver tongues.
Over the next few months, we will make the world understand that you failed worse than any fighting force that’s ever invaded our lands. Today we celebrate victory.
As you evacuate your embassy, our fighters will be standing in the shade. Our RPG marksmen will be patient. We thank you for the parting gifts. You’ll find surface-to-air missiles staged in the back of Toyota pickup trucks that you purchased for us.
We saw what Extortion 17 did to your nation and the morale of your fighting force. Do your citizens even remember that victory? We’ll be repeating and improving upon our victory while your citizens and sympathizers evacuate in disgrace. Every one of your foes around the world will know exactly how to break you.
You are welcome to fly your empty drones, target our cell phones, and send your spies. But they, too, will ultimately fail. We’ll use their failures to show the world that you’re not all-powerful. You’re a false front--an empty shell. You lie, cheat, steal, and are easily defeated because you lack the spine to fight. This is your history now. We’re grateful Allah gave us the opportunity to show the world how to defeat the Infidels.
We look forward to seeing you again across the battlefield.
Praise be to God,
The Taliban
***Authors’ Note***
If you’ve read this far. Thank you. I’ve spent the past week trying to find a way to communicate this to the American people in a manner that would cause anger, rage, action, and understanding. Writing in the voice of a Taliban felt right.
If this made you angry, cry, or contemplative--then our goal is achieved. Our hope is that it inspires you to take action with your elected officials. They’ve been repeating the same failing playbook since World War II with your sons, daughters, and tax dollars. If you want this to keep happening, do nothing. If you don’t, then do something. If we all do a little, together we do a lot.
About the Authors:
Matthew Griffin is a 2001 United States Military Academy Graduate, Army Ranger, Combat Veteran with the 75th Ranger Regiment (3x Afghanistan, 1x Iraq), CEO of Combat Flip Flops, author, and 2019 Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Global Leadership Institute.
Scott Chapman is a 2000 Murray State University Graduate, Army Ranger Fire Team Leader from Alpha Company 2/75th Rangers (‘01 - ‘05), OGA Blackwater Alumni, entrepreneur, and author. Combat Veteran ( 21x Afghanistan, 1x Iraq)
Comments
Thank you
“Our hope is that it inspires you to take action with your elected officials. They’ve been repeating the same failing playbook since World War II with your sons, daughters, and tax dollars. If you want this to keep happening, do nothing. If you don’t, then do something.”. . . What exactly is it that you’re looking for people to do, and assuming your desired outcome is achieved, what exactly would it be?. . .
The world is burning and flooding – that’s where the front is now, not in policing other countries and cultures, and certainly not in fighting with each other. Any war is a profitable business for some, and total disaster for all the rest.
Well, my Mother says…
“I know “WE” were asked by your oppressed countrymen and Leaders for help. The call was answered. We rebuilt Your cities several times, sustained Your people, Never forced our customs and ways upon Your people, Honored Your religion and way of life. WE were asked to train and teach Your countrymen the art of self-protection, which was done for over 20 years. We fought and died for Your countrymen. You bost about what you have done to regain a country that you systematically destroyed. You say you will be stronger, richer, fruitful, and praise Allah whose commandments you disregarded, trashed, and perverted in your quest for power. Well, you have what you desired, so What Now? We will petition our Leaders to never again enter into a sacrificial abyss for other countries who destain our efforts. We are no longer Your countrymen benefactors, no longer required to shed our blood and deaths on your soil, and for this alone, we give thanks to your Allah. When all is settled, we ask that no calls be made to our country Leaders for assistance as the answer will be the sound of silence."
- Dorothy B. RILEY United States Army Veteran
Thanks for this.
Saw it from a while away 😉 …
But it was still very good and very necessary.
Will follow through. It’s what we all must do.
Only like us when we’re winning eh???? WW2 would be included in here if we didn’t win. This is such a one sided piece. And what a convenient time to write it and release it. Kind of like going to war in Afghanistan after 9/11… overall this is a poorly written piece that offers no solution, and sheds no light on the disgusto oppression that the Taliban inflicts on the people of Afghanistan. Makes no sense for Combat FlipFlops either. I’m not angered by this piece… more unimpressed, and surprised at how narrow minded it is.
Did Iraq on orders, with Kosovo and Afghanistan contracting. You’re on point. It’s tragic. Obama should not have let the leadership go, and Trump should not have forced the release of Taliban fighters. I marvel frequently how Americans still trust their own government to act well in their lives. It needed to be said.
This must a Western educated Taliban to spew such colloquial American terms such as “self licking Ice-cream cone”. I very much doubt the validity of this letter being written by some mud hut living, AK-47 toting, child molesting, hardened Taliban fighter. It reaks of Western terminology! These fighter are to be commended for their tenacity for repelling millennia of invaders of their county. We are fooling ourselves if we thought for one moment we could westernize a country that has been tribal ruled since before Christ walked the earth.
The thought from CFF that we shouldn’t invest in a strong military is wrong on all accounts. We should compel our youth to serve their county just as Taliban warriors serve theirs. As a former military man I didn’t always agree with the advancement of our National Security goals. It’s very different when a country invites you to defend them (Saudia Arabia) rather than forcing ourselves into a nation (Afghanistan) that didn’t ask for our assistance. Should we care women and children are being sexually brutalized in the name of Allah. Should I care if I see my neighbor across the street in “Good Ole” United States of America beat his wife and rape his 15 year old daughter in the name of God or do I turn a blind eye and go about my business? I read Dakota Meyers book and the atrocious committed by Taliban fighter who gouging out the eyes of a young boy and then sexually brutalized him sickened me to my core. I personally hope every Taliban fighter burns in everlasting hell fire. I will never stand by or be silent when I see wrong be committed. I hope the Taliban enjoy their reign of terror, while I enjoy my somewhat decadent (retired) western life style. I’m proud to say I served in the USAF and have no regret by the manner in which I conducted myself or obeying the orders which I carried out. I will not apologize to any country in which I carried out operations to advance freedom and democracy because I wasn’t apart of any invading force to which wasn’t invited in by the prevailing government. I say God bless America and party on Wayne!
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY OUR MILITARY CANT WIN
WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT . WE MUST TRY TO OUT NICE THE ENEMY
QUESS WHAT YOU CANT OUT NICE THEM …YOU MUST OUT KILL THEM AND KILL THOSE THAT THEY HIDE BEHIND
IF YOUR ENEMY GOES TO GROUND LEAVE NO GROUND FOR THEM .
Spot on. Our society and senior national security leaders seek money, power, and sexual gratification above EVERYTHING. The patriots who froze to death at Valley Forge would spit on what our soft, corrupted nation has become.
Today is a very solemn day for soldiers and veterans who served in Afghanistan. I think it’s a mistake to solely blame President Biden. Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden very much share in the blame. A string of generals that span 4 presidencies all were afraid to sacrifice their careers while their subordinates safrificed their lives and limbs in an attempt to destroy the Taliban. With the exception of the first gulf a war, we simply do not fully commit to war when chose war. Our actions should be severe, deadly, and fully indulged yet we institute a force motivated fully by political expediency, both by politicians and commanding generals. The Germans utilized blitzkrieg in World War 2 because it works and even their last failed attempt to win the war with the Battle of The Bulge was a full commitment to blitzkrieg. Their final attempt failed for the same reason the war in Afghanistan failed. Hitler and our presidents and generals failed to accept the reality that hubris, career ism, and political expediency were the rule of the day, not a full commitment to absolute victory. We learned nothing from Vietnam it seems. War is hell, but it should be an apocalypse for the enemy. You provide adequate forces to kill the enemy, and keep killing the enemy until they lose the will to win. Anything else is not winning, it’s not wanting to win.
The following is a quote from General John F. Kelly, “If you think this war against our way of life is over because some of the self-appointed opinion-makers and chattering class grow ‘war weary,’ because they want to be out of Iraq or Afghanistan, you are mistaken. This enemy is dedicated to our destruction. He will fight us for generations, and the conflict will move through various phases as it has since 9/11.”
This is what happens when we have a weak president. I feel bad for my combat buddies
You have some strong opinions, but also strong resumes to back them up. You are certainly living. Not just existing. I hate flip flops but bought some anyway because you guys are trying to make a difference. Thanks
I vote for civil war or secession and the formation of The United States of Texas! Democrats have no place in society period. Sorry but thats the nicest way i can say it.
You’re on point. To the point that this almost seemed to be penned by one of them. Clearly you know them. You’ve seen them. You understand. The problem is declaring a war against an idea. Perhaps if the Taliban truly becomes a regional power / consolidated. An Afghan state…then perhaps we can win a war that the US remembers how to fight. With the machines of war. We wish to bring aid and support, but we should bring swift and terrible retribution. This is a horrible truth. It is the truth of war. It is how it is “won”. With many sacrifices, including the innocent. We either go to war or we go to aid. We cannot do both and expect a victory. This is the sad truth.
If this is how we are with Afghanistan, so how will we handle China? Joe has to go.
EOD, did my time in Afghanistan and saw lots of good being done. End game here, we must hold all who are responsible for not having a solid goal for starting then continue that until we finally fubar the exit.
I completely agree with supporting the people of Afgahnistan and leting them build with our support. We cannot make promises and then drop the promises just because it no longer suits our needs. This is probably our biggest problem. Changing parties that cannot see that we can argue within but while out and about WE are One Nation.
I don’t have a fix to this complex problem, but man! We can do better and should expect better from those who represent us!
We should never attempt to nation build because we have zero patience or will to commit the three hundred thousand military men & women needed to defeat these honorless terrorists. It’s not Republicans nor Democrats. Even the Soviets failed in this harsh land and it’s misguided population. While I don’t like giving up without a full commitment to wipe them out we’re wasting our time, resources, & most importantly our honorable military.
I spent time over there as well as an artillery man with the USMC in 2009/2010 and you hit the nail on the head. They waited us out. Stay safe man and keep your head down.
This is hard to read. Partially because it’s plausible or true in many ways, but also because of the false narrative it feeds. “If only we would have done something different.”
Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. The objective of creating a “democratic utopia” (Cheney ~ 2001) was unattainable. There was never anything, not leadership, not the removal of ROEs, not even nukes, that would have produced the stated outcome.
The wrong mission and wrong desired end state was our downfall.
Poor leadership, from the top down, cast our fate, squandered the lives of our brothers and sisters, recklessly ended the lives of those we purported to save, and wasted mountains of treasure.
Brutality wins battles and loses wars. Indiscriminate killing and destruction could have changed the arc of the war but not the outcome.
Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British, the Soviets, and even the Afghan National Army were unencumbered by ROEs. They all lost. Badly.
If the objective had been to kill OBL and avert another 9/11 type attack for 20 years. We nailed it.
Sadly that wasn’t the expectation.
Impossible goals lost this war. Bemoaning ROEs sets the stage for the next generation to believe we can brutalize our way to victory.
This is hard to read. Partially because it’s plausible or true in many ways, but also because of the false narrative it feeds. “If only we would have done something different.”
Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. The objective of creating a “democratic utopia” (Cheney ~ 2001) was unattainable. There was never anything, not leadership, not the removal of ROEs, not even nukes, that would have produced the stated outcome.
The wrong mission and wrong desired end state was our downfall.
Poor leadership, from the top down, cast our fate, squandered the lives of our brothers and sisters, recklessly ended the lives of those we purported to save, and wasted mountains of treasure.
Brutality wins battles and loses wars. Indiscriminate killing and destruction could have changed the arc of the war but not the outcome.
Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British, the Soviets, and even the Afghan National Army were unencumbered by ROEs. They all lost. Badly.
If the objective had been to kill OBL and avert another 9/11 type attack for 20 years. We nailed it.
Sadly that wasn’t the expectation.
Impossible goals lost this war. Bemoaning ROEs sets the stage for the next generation to believe we can brutalize our way to victory.
Impeach Biden!!!!!!
Nailed it!
A real warrior will sacrifice any and all for victory……ANY AND ALL!
THIS IS A DISGRACE NOW AN ALL VETS AN VOTER ALIKE NEED TO CALL FOR THIS MAN TO BE IMPEACHED AN TRIED FOR TREASON ! THIS DID NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS AN HE DID NOT LISTEN TO HIS COMMANDERS NOW EITHER ! NOW WILL YOU SO CALLED GENERALS IN CHARGE OF OUR TROOPS START DOING WHAT YOUR OAT OF OFFICE SAYS NOW AN QUIT ALL THIS CRT TRAINING AN BS MARXIST CRAP NOW AN GET BACK TO OUR AMERICAN VALVES AN TRADITIONS NOW FOR IF YOU DON’T YOU WILL SEE FAR WORST THINGS HAPPENING THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO AFGHANISTAN NOW !!!!!! IMPEACH BIDEN AN COMPANY NOW !!!!!!
iNDEED THE PHUCK UP bIDEN, REMOVED OUR TROOPS LIKE A COWARD, abandonning the people there, bringing a hundred thousand mor people yto our country will not solve their problem, we ar not the phucken cops of the world the billions of dollars in equipment left to a rag tag army, yet dedicated warriors intent on regaining their freedom “of their religion” in their land without us trying to set up dummy spineless governments, they are right they beat the russians, us now and the so call Afhganistan army (filled with gutless soldiers that so many times turned on our instructors, let our home come home and stay home to defend our borders, if we could get an other Reagan, with balls and guts like he did to get the Russians out of Berlin, but politic means secured cushy jobs, how a two bit lawyer like Obama can retire and buy homes valued in the billions, Politic pays, and we are the suckers giving our money away
I agree mostly with Colonel Bopiah. The Narcissist Politicians that we presently have an extreme excess of, actually BLEATED AGAINST Trump when he announced he was leaving. But we should all know by now-there’s absolutely NO placating a Democrat, especially the ‘New Wave" of them. A mega-billion $$$ boondoggle instigated by none other than the Bush’s Regimes. I only hope for the Colonel’s sake that, when we, the MOST successful Country on the Planet because of Capitalism and our Constitutional FREEDOM, values which the Biden-Pelosi Regime, daily, is ripping out of our hands and hearts, that India can defend itself against the Chinese Hoard, because they are coming for you.
I was part of the initial TF incursion team in October 2001 when we first liberated Bagram. I completed 5 consecutive tours and left active duty in 2007; I had served just over 10-years. This post is spot on, but… this isn’t just a failure of the current, feckless commander-in-chief. Biden was a senator for decades (70s-90s); he was as useless then as he is now. He was Vice President under Obama, a ruler by executive fiat who vowed to withdraw, but they did nothing. So why now? Why turn Kabul into another Saigon? I’ll tell you why. We are about to witness the biggest tail-wagging-the-dog political theater and Potomac two-step anyone has ever seen – none of which has anything to do with Afghanistan.
The once-a-decade census results were just released, and it is damning to the political agenda of the radical left – Biden’s base. 32 out of 50 state legislatures are Republican, and they have been posturing for a year to re-draw congressional districts to breakup the political dominance Democrats have created in our decaying, inner cities. These results, coupled with the supreme court ruling that states get to determine how districting is drawn up, are going to give them the push they need to dictate American politics for the next 10-years. Did anyone think the DNC was just going to lay down and take it? Negative. They are using this Charlie Foxtrot of a situation to rile the emotions of Veterans they’ve been labeling as “domestic terrorists” since former Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Paolitano, said she stood behind a controversial intelligence assessment that sated, “returning Veterans” were among the terrorist risks to the U.S. Let that percolate for a moment.
Remember, what affects our daily lives has nothing to do with what asshat sits in the White House. The real influence happens at the local, county, and state governments… local school boards… and any other down-ballot choices most American skim past every few years when we are in the middle of election year sleight-of-hand campaigning. Did Biden put critical race theory or critical gender theory into our schools and higher-learning institutions? No! Local school boards and regents did. Did Biden or the feckless DNC-controlled house of representatives destroy our economy and kill small businesses? No! Local, county, and state governments did. Local elections affect our lives so much more than the D.C. swamp, yet most people cannot name a single person on the down-ballot for their local area. The DNC has been great at this “ground-and-pound” for decades, which is why we have lost our schools, our youth, and our sense of morality.
I served my country honorably, and still do as a member of the VFW and American Legion. The dream that was America can only be as strong as the moral convictions, honor, and patriotic resolve of those who will stand firm in front of tyranny and have the courage to tell the radical, hedonist Marxists of this nation, “There is [no] price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which [you will] not advance.” If we continue to retract and retreat, eventually, we have to face the left’s final demand – the ultimatum of stateless globalism under iron-fisted authoritarians – because we will have been irrevocably weakened from within… both spiritually and morally.
We are coming up on Mid-term elections. GET OUT THERE and for the love of God… let your voices be heard. Find out who the local leaders are in your area and help them get elected. Take a hard look at your state legislatures and ask yourselves, “do I want their people affecting my life”? There is no “magic button” that we can simply press and hopes it changes the cesspool of a society the radical left has created. It’s going to take grit, determination, and zero-retreat under the specter appeasement and accommodation.
They may have patience but that will only get them hell for eternity!
This was a good read, yes it did make me mad but it made me think. We all have our own beliefs both religious and cultural. We shouldn’t make or even try to change people. If change is made,it’s done on their own terms an if that influences others so be it. No war,No blood shed is needed.
Every night in my prayers I pray for peace an understanding through out the world. I know this is wishful thinking on my part but someday long after I’m gone it could be a reality. What would that be like, we don’t know cause we’ve never had it.
The person who wrote this message has a good understanding of both sides. As I said in the beginning it was a good read and opened my eyes as to where the other side is coming from. My beliefs and theirs are different but thats what makes the world.
The same lessons we taught the japs in 45
The greatest American warrior of the twentieth century was General Dwight Eisenhower. He also served two terms as president. He said that America must never get involved in a land war in Asia.
Heard about the H bomb? We can just blow you to smithereens, you can then rest with your Allah in peace. It just requires us to push a small button. Lo behold, you are gone, it’s magic which you stupid morons will never be able to comprehend
Remember when Reagan armed and fought with the mujahideen against the Russians, maybe we came in on the ring side then?
“Your Generals make decisions to minimize risk to their fragile reputation with the ultimate goal of securing a lucrative retirement—jobs with suppliers that fuel your losing force.“
Nailed it
as an American Soldier who was deployed twice to Afghanistahn. here is my reply..
To all my fellow brothers in arms,
To all Americans
and to the World
We have won the war!
The war in Afghanistan is over, and we have won!
No longer will we be deployed to that war. No longer will we have to leave our families, our wives, or our children. No longer will our families worry if we will return to them safely. No longer will future soldiers, marines, airmen, or sailors suffer the physical or mental problems that we have endured since the beginning of this war. No longer will brigades and fleets return with fewer troops than what they deployed with.
On September 11, 2001, the Taliban cried out to America with a violent plea for help. We answered just as violently. We sent troops, money, supplies, knowledge, training, and everything a developing nation could ever hope for to join the world community. We gave them a chance to free themselves of their tyranny and bring them into a world with less hunger, less death, and less suffering. We tried for 20 years to improve their lives and their world. They resisted every step of the way, they refused to accept our help to take our hand and to be pulled up out of poverty. So in every sense of the word, it is unfortunate that they are the only true losers of this war. From the very beginning, we had already won the war, we were only trying to help you win too.
Make no mistake America, We have won.
Talisman is the Frankenstein monster created by the USA. A poetic justice as far as Russia is concerned.
So much sad truth in this piece! They outlasted because they didn’t conform. I pray their hands & hearts will soften on their I own people left behind and I pray our hands & hearts will harden to our own spineless politicians/ law makers and our own need for comfort and compliance. No one is free till the world is free!!
So much sad truth in this piece! They outlasted because they didn’t conform. I pray their hands & hearts will soften on their I own people left behind and I pray our hands & hearts will harden to our own spineless politicians/ law makers and our own need for comfort and compliance. No one is free till the world is free!!
Very well written snd a scathing perspective on Americans and their policies regarding war. As much I agree with almost every word, here’s the bottom line. We should never had stayed in the ME after taking out Bin Laden. We shoikd never had occupied Iraq because of “weapons of mass destruction”. We had no business in Vietnam either. What was the outcome of that failed war?
War profiteering is deserving of a loss. The motives in addition to methods were “unsound”.
When will we realize our capitalist and imperialist exceptionalism is our downfall? It’s the root of our own divide in this country.
Spineless? Cowards? What do you call using women and children as shields? Being raised knowing nothing but war doesn’t make you brave. Bravery is knowing peace, knowing comfort, and still choosing to put yourself in harms way for another person.
Perfect and well done…we knew the ending in 04. Too many Generals, too many politicians. too many investors and far too much State department. Then add big Army with the coalition. Phuck it, ruck up, next mission?
Sad to see how American soldiers die in foreign lands because their Presidents think they can change the world. Every country they meddled in caused them to lose face from Korea to Viet Nam to Afghanistan.
Where you fought wars in countries that were stable with dictators are in a terrible shape. Libya and Iraq are unstable with internal dissensions that are near impossible to control.
Nixon’s flirtation with China has backfired with them as the biggest of foes.
Pakistan played a double game with you in Afghanistan reaping billions of dollars of aid.
It is time for America to take stock of their policies and stop interfering in other countries. They must learn to use soft power.
All you pussies need to build a business case and GO BACK. Don’t sit here like a bunch of laptop warriors and talk shit about this country and the men and women who fought and died. You are all cowards because you are falling on the sword that a POLITICIAN is dictating your life, yet you state you are free. You left Afghan, so if its worth fighting for then move there and fight some more. If you don’t want to do that, then SHUT THE FUCK UP
Nailed it. I’ve been thinking and speaking in this tone for awhile now. Side note: my flippy flops have 4 years in Afghanistan, great product.
This angers and hurts. The warrior ethos says I will never quit, I will not accept defeat, mission first. Never leave a fallen comrade. We can’t do any of that. Feels so hopeless and helpless
Brilliant!
Scott Chapman,
Good work, nicely done.
100% true. I have no doubt they are relishing this right now. But get on JKO and do your GMTs before the fiscal year…and get the shot.
We lost our priorities a long time ago.
there was a time when this country was great and respected….that time has passed…and it is a shame.
I, for one, am actually glad that Americans are getting out of harms way after 20 years at war with a country full of fighters that have more time at war than we have as a country. Those people fight because that’s their “football”, it’s their tradition handed down from generation to generation, for thousands of years. They’ve adapted to terrain that the average Soldier can navigate but can’t quite become one with. They’ve fought every intruder since before Alexander the Great.
I have very little faith in our current leadership, never really had a lot in our previous, but I can tell you that I hope the Soldiers. Marines, Airmen and Sailors can get a little time off soon. Perhaps a beer or twenty.
We’ve held the shitty foreign policy of this nation on our backs for a long time, and it’s time to recoup, recover, clean the gear and deep fucking breath.