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In the midst of the chaos that unfolded in Kabul, Afghanistan two years ago, our Task Force Pineapple embarked on a mission to save as many Afghan allies as possible. While physically separated by 7,000 miles, I sat at my kitchen counter with my wife, engrossed in urgent text messages within our signal chat room.
Suddenly, amidst this digital rescue effort, I received a text from my comrade-in-arms Brad, a former Green Beret whom I had served with in Afghanistan. I glanced at his message, which posed a question.
“Is there a way for me to get close to Afghanistan and provide on-ground assistance in evacuating our people?”
President Joe Biden addresses the end of the war in Afghanistan from the State Dining Room of the White House on August 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Frustrated, I shook my head and returned to the signal room where we were coordinating the evacuation. The reality was that none of us could physically go to Afghanistan. Remote rescue operations were our only option. I planned to explain this to Brad when the situation calmed down.
VETERANS OF THE AFGHANISTAN WAR UNDERSTAND SOMETHING CONGRESS FAILS TO COMPREHEND
Unfortunately, I never got the chance.
Less than a year and a half later, Brad passed away. His death was not a result of combat. In October 2022, he was found unconscious in a Mississippi hotel room, following a downward spiral of depression and alcohol abuse triggered by the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. He left behind his wife Dana and their incredible children, Hanna and Chad.
While alcohol played a role, it was the moral injury that shattered Brad’s spirit.
Brad’s story is not unique. Thousands of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11 are grappling with profound moral injuries caused by the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the abandonment of our Afghan allies. Moral injury arises from engaging in or witnessing actions that contradict one’s values and deeply-held beliefs.
Moral injury has had a devastating impact on our veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. These brave men and women spent two decades building strong relationships with Afghans, aiming to prevent another 9/11.
FAILURE OF THE AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL POINTS TO A PATH FOR THE FUTURE OF THE US MILITARY
Yet, in a matter of reckless hours in August 2021, those same Afghan partners were abandoned, subjected to torture, and killed. Images of these atrocities flooded the phones of veterans who had already witnessed unimaginable horrors of war.
Simultaneously, young service members deployed to Kabul airport and bore witness to unspeakable human suffering. Taliban fighters executed Afghan men in full view, children were trampled in massive crowds, and fathers held their suffocating babies inches away from Marines and paratroopers who struggled to maintain their composure, with no means to assist these vulnerable individuals.
These service members returned home to a country that had moved on, and a chain of command that offered them no psychological counseling to process the traumas they had endured.
In March 2023, I warned Congress about the impending mental health crisis among veterans if we failed to mobilize resources to address the moral injuries resulting from the botched withdrawal. Almost on cue, the VA Crisis Line received over 88,000 calls that month, marking the highest volume of calls in VA history.
MOTHER OF FALLEN SERVICE MEMBER SLAMS BIDEN’S FOREIGN POLICY: ‘WEAKER NOW THAN EVER’
In the aftermath of the devastating conclusion to the Afghanistan war, the Biden administration has seemingly chosen to ignore the profound impact of this failure. Senior leaders within the Department of State and Defense remain aligned with the administration.
Two years later, not a single senior leader has resigned or been relieved of their duties. Retired generals and admirals who once held influential positions within the military are notably silent in the public sphere.
With institutional leadership absent, veterans have stepped up, exemplifying their inherent ability to lead. Individuals like Joe Laude, a young Marine who survived the Abbey Gate explosion, left the Marine Corps to establish a nonprofit organization called Operation Allies Refuge. This organization provides healing sanctuaries for service members deployed to Kabul airport during the withdrawal.
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Amy, a Marine Corps spouse, recognized the challenges faced by our new Afghan neighbors within the United States and founded React DC, a nonprofit dedicated to leading the way in Afghan resettlement.
Travis, a former Air Force special operator, established the Moral Compass Federation, a coalition of 20 veteran volunteer groups focused on addressing moral injury among veterans.
As for myself, our nonprofit organization, the Heroes Journey, is currently staging a play that I authored, titled “Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret.” Made possible by the sponsorship of the Gary Sinise Foundation, this play travels across the country, providing healing through the art of warrior storytelling. The cast consists entirely of veterans and military family members.
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For post-9/11 veterans, one thing is abundantly clear – nobody else is coming to our aid. It is up to us.
Given the resilience and determination of the veterans and their families with whom I served, I welcome these odds. They are a force to be reckoned with, far surpassing the capabilities of our institutional leaders.
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