Re: “Leaving Afghanistan” by Oregon Rep. Marty Wilde (EW 8/19).
“We should never again put our troops in harm’s way to support a government that its own people do not believe in.” I’m not a colonel in the Air National Guard, nor have I ever served in the military, but this statement misses the point.
We were in Afghanistan, partly, to act as a shield against the corruption and terror that oppressed basic rights. The right girls should have, for example, to educate themselves. Our role was much like that of a big brother walking his little sister to school — deterring the would-be bullies — guarding her journey.
Even though the rights of women in America have only been acknowledged within the past 100 years, we aimed to train an army and model a form of government that would continue to uphold and support the rights of girls in a third-world country.
Alas, the Afghans didn’t catch on quickly enough. Consequently, President Joe Biden — the epitome of white privilege and entitlement — decided the most important thing was that he be recognized as the president who brought troops home by the anniversary of 9/11. Now, in the wake of his incompetent, careless, reckless and untouchable decision, girls, boys, women and men are left reeling. They’ve been betrayed and abandoned and even blamed for the disappointment felt by Wilde, and others like him.
Speaking as a member of our armed forces, Wilde warns, “Don’t put yourself out there, Dude, they won’t appreciate it.”
Point sadly missed.
Jo Anne Ryan
Eugene
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