I am of an age where I remember seeing the nightly news that reported daily on the carnage in Vietnam. Indeed, that ill begotten war dominated most of my later teen age years and the first years of my early 20's. I lost friends in that debacle that as the documentary The Fog of War reveals was never winnable from the outset had one learned anything from history and truly understood the local culture and societal dynamics. Over 58,000 Americans dead, many more maimed and wounded and for what? America has diplomatic relations again with Vietnam and the country is increasingly a tourist destination. Did the military leadership learn anything from Vietnam? Apparently not when one looks at the ongoing disaster in Afghanistan where the very same mistakes that were made in Vietnam have been repeated for many of the same reasons, not the least of which are an utter disregard for history, utter ignorance of the local culture and society, and the hubris and dishonesty of senior military leaders who claim that with more men, more money and more time they can "get the job done."
So what is really being accomplished? Nothing other than the waste of lives and billions of dollars. One special report in today's Virginian Pilot describes the disaster thusly, in part:
More than 1,200 U.S. troops killed. $300 billion spent. Deadlier than ever. . . . . American muscle proves futile in land of extremes.
And this says nothing of the thousands permanently maimed. Three other short stories perhaps sum things up even better since such stories occur with far too much frequency:
Soldier from Virginia killed in battle in Afghanistan . . . . A soldier from Clarksville, Va., has died in battle in Afghanistan. Sgt. Robert J. Billings, 30, died Saturday in Spin Boldak, according to a Department of Defense news release. He died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a homemade bomb. . . . . Spc. Brittany B. Gordon, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., also died in the attack.
Fort Bragg-based soldier killed in Afghanistan . . . . A soldier based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has died while serving in Afghanistan. Chief Warrant Officer Michael S. Duskin, 42, of Orange Park, Fla., died Tuesday, in Chak District of Wardak Province, according to a Department of Defense news release. He died from small-arms fire while on patrol during combat operations.
Camp Lejeune-based Marine dies in Afghanistan . . . . A Marine based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina has died while serving in Afghanistan. Cpl. Alex F. Domion, 21, of Richfield Springs, N.Y., died Wednesday. . . .
And the needless deaths and serious injury continue daily. Whatever the initial merits for American intervention in Afghanistan existed, they ceased to exist long ago. The cretin like George W. Bush and dick "Emperor Palpatine" Cheney squandered the original opportunity years ago leaving Barack Obama with an unwinnable mess. So why is America still throwing away lives in a place that no outside power has ever successfully tamed over the course of more than 2,000 years of history. To me the answer is simple: (i) American hubris and a myth of American exceptionalism, (ii) senior military leaders who leaned nothing from the British and Soviet fiascoes in Afghanistan and who have betrayed those who serve under them (some apparently spending more time on affairs and dalliances than running the war based on recent news stories), and (iii) sabre rattling politicians who seemingly like to send others to war as if it somehow makes up for their own emasculated manhood.
In the latter regard, it is remarkable that it seems like it is always those without any family members serving in the military who are the most eager to throw away the lives of the children, husbands and wives of others. Mitt Romney who never served a day in the military and who sees military service as beneath his own sons, is but one case in point.
We hear a lot from politicians about "we support our troops" - especially demagogic Republicans. But if one truly supports our troops, they don't send them on a fool's errand and assign them a mission that cannot be won in the haul. In my view, politicians who do this are guilty of what is tantamount to a form of treason. Most of our troops enlisted for honorable reasons. The demagogues in Congress instead throw away young lives simply to (a) pander to Christain extremists who want a crusade against non-Christians, (b) pander to macho bigots who have bought into the idea of an American empire, (c) enrich defense contractor political contributors, and (e) do the bidding of multinational oil companies. Sadly, we no longer have the nightly news stories of shattered and ruined lives of our military on the nightly news as we did in the Vietnam era. If we did, I suspect that the disaster in Afghanistan would have ended years earlier and politicians who lead the movement to squander American lives and treasure would be facing much more demand for accountability.
I am supportive of President Obama in many ways and realize he inherited a Middle East disaster from an administration that ought to be on trial for war crimes. But enough is enough. Get our troops out NOW. IMMEDIATELY. As for the Afghans that we have placed in an untenable position when American forces leave, I say give them visas and relocate them to the red states that most support war mongering. Their representatives supported getting the nation into this mess, let them give homes to the refugees they helped create.
And yes, this is personal for me. I and friends and neighbors have loved ones in Afghanistan and it infuriates me that they lives are being endangered and/or lost for what in retrospect will clearly be nothing. BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
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