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'Were all of our sacrifices wasted?' War veterans react to stunning Afghanistan collapse
The U.S. pullout from Afghanistan and the rapid collapse of the country has led to a reckoning among war veterans. Here are some of their reactions.
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Rebekah Sanderlin has never been to Afghanistan, and yet she says the war-torn nation of 39 million has “permeated every single part of our lives’’ for the past two decades.
As the wife of an Army veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan about seven times, the last one less than two years ago, Sanderlin developed an affinity for the Afghans based on her husband’s experience with them and her own research.
She uses terms like "terrifying’" and “heartbreaking’’ when pondering their fate now that the ruthless Taliban has taken over the country in stunningly fast fashion, toppling the government of President Ashraf Ghani, prompting him to flee and forcing the U.S. to rush out its personnel.
After more than 2,300 Americans were killed and 20,000 wounded in a 20-year war that cost the U.S. an estimated $2.26 trillion, Sanderlin said, many military families are wondering if all their blood and sweat – in addition to the months of separation and the missed special occasions – were all for naught.
"There are a lot of veterans who are grappling with: ‘Was it worth it? Were all of our sacrifices wasted?'" Sanderlin said. She added that many are conflicted about the Biden administration’s decision to pull out the U.S. troops, which opened the door for the Taliban.
"There’s a very defined, clear, loud group that feels like, as much as we hate what’s happening, it was time for the war to end. At the same time, there’s another very clear, outspoken group that says we’re betraying the Afghans, and we’re walking away from an opportunity to have done something really good."
Sanderlin, a mother of three whose husband of 18 years is now retired from the military, counts herself among those who are torn about the troop withdrawal, changing her mind seemingly every hour and feeling there were no good options.