The War In Afghanistan Is Over

Joe Raedle. Getty Images.

With the news that US troops left in the middle of the night, that is essentially that in Afghanistan. It's hard to really put into words what the last 20 years have been like on the military side of things. It went from a war that nearly everyone in America understood. It's hard to remember accurately now but I was only 20 when things kicked off. There were many more folks who didnt understand why we were going to Iraq but the Afghanistan piece was a no-brainer for many. Osama Bin Laden trained, recruited, and operated from Afghanistan for years. We had to go in there. The question became why in the fuck didnt we leave after he got three to the face? We'll never know. 

The American public was behind the war overwhelmingly. But, that shifted after a while. For a few years, the focus militarily and monetarily was on Iraq and what was happening there. In fact, I remember when people were disappointed if they got orders to go to Afghanistan. Iraq is where the real action was. But, that shifted again and again. After a while, the American public didnt really give a fuck. President Obama campaigned on ending the wars in Afghanistan and closing down Gitmo. That came and went with his 8 years in office. President Trump promised that he would end the war and the military-industrial complex. That came and went too. Those promises from politicians came less and less often. Hell, the forever wars were barely even mentioned in the last two presidential debates.

The American public was more focused on foreign policy for the next wars, China and Russia, than we were on a war that was the longest in American history. 

Kate went to Afganistan twice. She, Connor, and I all have lost close friends in the war. We tried to put into perspective what the news of the last week meant to us. Obviously, it was tough. I imagine that will be the case for the rest of our and many of your lives. But, and so it goes.