AFGHANISTAN IN CRISIS…
IT WASN’T FOR NOTHING!
By Mike Saunders
Photo by Amber Clay
Following September 11, 2001, the United States sent an ultimatum to the Taliban to extradite Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a second thwarted attack on Washington by the passengers of Flight 93. In total, 2,977 souls were lost that day. The Taliban refused extradition, and on October 7, 2001, American Troops were deployed to Afghanistan in ‘Operation Enduring Freedom.’ The Afghanistan war is, to date, the longest war in American history with casualties reaching 6,294 among American troops and contractors.
A lot of Veterans are home tonight, watching the news, and asking themselves WHY? The withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan is leaving Operation Enduring Freedom Veterans with conflicted feelings.
All the time, all the money spent, all the lives lost, was it really all for nothing? Absolutely not! I spoke with three OEF Veterans, Lance Corporal Daniel Field, a Marine Infantryman, Sergeant Marty Donahue, an Army Combat Engineer, and Army Specialist Colby James, a member of an Army Recon Unit.
Field like many OEF Veterans, has not even been able to fully process his feelings as he watches the Taliban unravel everything our military has done .“Everything we worked for in Afghanistan, we just failed, everything is just going to go back to the way it was, and it’s probably going to be worse because the Taliban are going to be so fucking busy killing everyone who ever liked us.” Field, saw two fellow marines wounded to the point where neither of them will ever be able to live a normal life.
Photo by Amber Clay
Donahue, who served in Afghanistan from 2007 until 2008, with the 70th Engineer Battalion, was shot right in the chest. Part of the round penetrated the plate, and then spauled out to his face and his arms.
“I didn’t realize I had a portion of it in my chest until a year later when I had a chest X-Ray. “It felt like a really bad case of road rash under my vest.” Some Veterans who served in the earlier years of the war may remember the old ceramic plates. These plates were designed to stop an AK-47 round, but on the back of them, in white print, “Do not drop.” No one ever wants to find out if the plates worked or not, but Donahue is fortunate to be alive!
As much as the troop withdrawal bothers him, Field said he saw it coming years ago, ”For years we were talking about it, we were never going to win. It was basically Vietnam 2.0. Me and my boys have been talking for the last few days, and it’s weird to watch a major part of your life come undone in real time.”
Some Veterans, like Colby James, place the blame on the Rules Of Engagement (ROE) for the war lasting as long as it did. They felt as though they were fighting a war with one hand tied behind their backs. “Under the Obama Administration, they changed the ROE. If there was a more aggressive ROE, we would have been able to defend ourselves.” James, who was also hit with a round through the helmet and one in the knee, said. “I never got to shoot back. It was almost like being an Afghani Civilian. You are over there to help them, but at the same time, you can’t.”
Donahue, doesn’t necessarily agree, ”We could have engaged more, but at the same token, look at the Soviets. They did not have any kind of ROE, and the same shit happened to them. The only thing that begets savagery is more savagery. I think that would have led to an escalation that both sides would have been regretful of. We would have been pushing each other to a point where innocent people would be put in the cross hairs, and if we lower ourselves down to the level of those we were fighting, what the fuck else do we have.”
Dan Field | USMC - Afghanistan
While there are differing opinions amongst OEF Veterans when it comes to the coulda, shoulda, woulda’s, one aspect of the entire campaign that is important to remember, despite how you may be feeling right now, is you made a difference; your presence in Afghanistan was enough to deter the enemy from killing an innocent civilian.
All the hours of hard work, the blood, the sweat, and the tears meant something to the innocent lives who could not defend themselves. You were there to protect them.
Your brothers and sisters did not pay the ultimate sacrifice for nothing.
Field shared his thoughts on the bigger picture. “It wasn’t for nothing. We have a family of fucking soldiers, Marines, or whoever that you can reach out to. The system works. We’ll care for each other regardless of how this fucking war turns out, or no matter how much no one else gives a fuck, we give a fuck.’’
Donahue shared his sentiments, “Every time I’m at the VA, I run into guys, and I tell them every time you think about your back or your knees, and the fucking headaches we get constantly, just remember we got blown up in vehicles that were meant to be blown up, and it wasn’t some other bastard who would run this shit over in a Humvee and never come home again.. I’m willing to have to take Ibuprofen for the rest of my life so long as countless other people get to go home and live a normal life. It’s a small sacrifice when you look at the scale of things.”
He went on to say that “Every tactical objective that was given to us, we completed. At the end of the day, we did our jobs. This isn’t on us, it’s on the decision makers.”
It sucks, and it’s a hard pill to swallow, but OEF Veterans can hold their heads high knowing that they did exactly what was asked of them. If you are struggling, call someone, talk about the hard times, and talk about the funny times.
Our fallen heroes will continue to live through the stories you tell about them. Thank you for all your efforts and your sacrifices; we appreciate all of you! There will come a day when you are able to turn the page, and start the next chapter of your lives.