Readers write: America's exit from Afghanistan
Processing defeat
In response to the Sept. 6 article 鈥�Vets see many US failures in Kabul. Military intelligence is just one,鈥� it鈥檚 clear that America鈥檚 head is hanging low. While many Americans seethe in anger at what they perceive as ineptness on the part of President Joe Biden, there are millions of us simply sad and perplexed that we find Americans and our Afghan allies in a quagmire of such dire circumstances.
No president would risk his or her political future on an operation that had 鈥渇ailure鈥� written all over it. Clearly, the rapidity and relative ease with which the Taliban marched into Kabul and took over the whole city, including the presidential palace, with nary a shot fired, took the world by surprise. Chaos ensued. How could it not? And America鈥檚 credibility hangs in the balance.聽
As a veteran, I will assure all of you: Military personnel are not trained for defeat. We have a belief that we have the strongest, best equipped forces in the world, and we always feel invincible. We are trained to win. To think we lost to the Taliban, even though we can argue it was not entirely up to us, causes a collective depression which has probably already morphed into a deep-seated anger in the hearts and minds of many veterans and active-duty soldiers, airmen and women, and sailors. Yet we must still rely on the leadership, those in command, the president, to save the day, and to save face.
We cannot discount the devastating tsunami we face if we cannot get Americans and Afghans out of the country. If we want democracy in this country 鈥� already threatened, already with huge cracks and tears in its very fabric 鈥� the president, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of state, all commanders everywhere, must focus on this one objective: Get everyone out of Afghanistan, co没te que co没te (at all costs).
In the meantime, we watch, listen, pay attention, and whenever possible, remind the finger-pointers that no one, especially President Biden, would have made his decision at the time he made it, had he known the country would simply fold and allow the Taliban to take over in 11 days. Need I add that our military would never have allowed it? Finally, for the faithful, prayers won鈥檛 hurt either.
Vicki Bliss
San Pedro, California
