The two hottest topics on the political horizon right now are health care reform and the war in Afghanistan. While I have definite ideas and opinions on both, the health care debate is not my primary focus right now, so instead I will ponder the war in Afghanistan. I am not really an unbiased party here. I work with the Marine Corps, the Regiment in which I work deployed there earlier this year, and my husband has been deployed there.
One of the popular questions is, “Why are we there?” I don’t know what anyone else’s answer to that one is, but awhile back I met a man who cleared up any doubt I had that we should be. Back in March of 2007 I had the pleasure of meeting three Generals, a Colonel, and a Sergeant Major from the Afghan National Army (ANA). I spoke, or more listened at length, to the Sergeant Major. At the time he was a relatively young man…in his early 30’s I suspect. He had been in the ANA for 5 years and achieved his lofty rank. For those 5 years, he had not been able to live with his wife who was two hours away from his base. His English, while not perfect, was quite clear. He called my husband “Superman” probably because of his size. All the time I sat with the group, he spoke eloquently, passionately and intelligently of the struggles he and his countrymen faced every day. He had never in his life known a time of peace. His father fought with the mujahidin back when the Soviets invaded in the 80’s. When that war was done, his father put down his arms and went back to a “normal” life, starting his own business. Shortly after, another group calling themselves the mujahidin came and began to preach their hatred and evil and take over the country. Women and girls were subjugated and not allowed to show their faces or go to school. His father moved his family to Pakistan where he was educated.
As a Sergeant Major in the ANA then, he earned the equivalent of about $200 a month American. He could make much more as an interpreter, but he chose to fight. I was told he was considered a high value target for the Taliban, because he was a leader and a passionate one. He said that all his people want is to give their children a better life. They want to go to work and to school and shop without worrying about whether they will be killed on the way to and from. They struggle daily against bands of terrorists who make his religion look like a religion of evil and death. He pleaded with us to understand that the Taliban wear turbans and preach death to the infidels while a true Muslim would never condone or encourage killing anyone. He described the struggle the army has keeping soldiers who make around $100 a month and are kept from their families for years. For most, as soon as their enlistments are up, they leave and go back home. He wanted to be sure that we all learned something from his visit since he had also learned a lot being around us.
Upon meeting me, each of the men, the generals included, made sure to tell me that my husband would be safe, and that they were honored to have the team of Marines come to help them. I learned that these men each came from a different tribe, and at one time were fighting each other. They came together and bonded to save their country from terrorists crossing their borders and creating havoc wherever they go. They told us not to believe the news we see here, that they are making progress, and they will win.
Curious about why the Afghans accept our help and presence in their country when they fought so hard against the Soviets, my husband asked what the difference was. The Sergeant Major replied, “You were invited.”
That was two and a half years ago. The Sergeant Major from the ANA whom I met then died last year. We have more troops there, and the Taliban is continuing their reign of terror against the citizens of Afghanistan. Why are we there? We are there in the hopes of helping those citizens gain control of their own lives and help them make the country safe for their children.
Afghanistan is just one more issue where people here are divided along ideological lines. President Obama campaigned that this is where our efforts to combat terrorism should be focused. He sent 8000 Marines there earlier this year, and in early July they initiated an operation to assist in making sure Afghans could vote safely. I spoke to my Commander soon after operations began, and he is convinced they are making a difference. Presently, General McChrystal’s preliminary reports are being reviewed. He is asking for more troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Lately, I have seen and heard politicians who agreed with President Obama during the campaign now starting to backpedal on the idea that this is the war we must fight and, instead, are claiming it is a war we can’t win. I don’t know what all the answers are, but I do know that I have friends there, people whom I treasure. I hate to think that the President, some of our Congressional leaders, and our populace have become weak willed in the face of difficulty. We can succeed there. We must succeed there. We just need leaders who are willing to do so.
(Photo courtesy of SgtMaj Stacy Lehfeldt a dear friend who retires Friday after 25 years of honest and faithful service in the USMC)
This is a difficult question to answer on a good day. I understand the political reason you outlined in your statement. Anytime one of our fine young men makes the ultimate sacrifice, we are obliged to continue the struggle regardless, because if we don't that life will have been lost in vane. The problem I have is the way we conduct war. I have always felt the U.S. should adopt the same tactics as the adversary, only be better at them, and add a few screws of your on. I do not believe in police actions, if you are going to war, go to win with everything you've got. Keep on top of them until you either bleed them or starve them to death. Take enough people to enforce an occupation. Don't make the mistake of destroying the infrastructure when it is not necessary, the American tax payers are responsible for rebuilding after the hostilities have ended. Unless you really just trumped up some excuses to go to war in the first place so you could give your buddies some no bid contracts.
ReplyDeleteA wise man once told me, when I asked the why question. His response was this, "It doesn't really matter what the question is, the answer will always be MONEY." Ultimately, we are in Afghanistan to protect a major supplier's oil pipeline that runs through Pakistan and Afghanistan. This type of war, that is so far away, is not going to end well for the U.S. primarily because it is just to far away. It is under supported by Congress and the citizens at large. We need a lot of B-52 bombers and A-10 Warthogs over there to support our ground troops, and we need a lot of occupation forces. I've got a solution to the problem, drive the Taliban into a isolated region and use theater grade nuclear weapons to keep them isolated, by irradiating the sand between their position and the cities. It's just that simple.