This was written on 18 April and submitted to The NY Times, Washington Post, and others but none chose to publish it. Now, a scant four months later, it is even more germane as the Taliban rapidly gains control and new forces are being sent to secure the Kabul airport for what almost certainly will be the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. The echoes ring loudly and there is still a price to pay.
Returning
From Vietnam we did return, not defeated, but not victors either. A new generation now faces similar circumstances as America’s longest wars officially draw to a close. The country, long weary of war, applauds withdrawal, while again, politicians talk of exits honorable.
Shamefully, they know they speak not truth, but embrace a strategic illusion for saving face. They hope reality will fade and be forgotten, save in the souls of those inextricably bound by memories of deeds that cannot be undone.
There is a constant gnawing in the minds of those who both met and meted out the horrors of combat; was it worth it? Why did my comrades die? For what cause?
Certainly not for glory
Dark Dreams
Constantly obscured are indigenous casualties; allies, enemies, and always the noncombatants who were just collateral damage of all sides.
Then, for those veterans who chance to sleep, there are the dreams; dreams that never end. Intentionally suppressed from daily consciousness, surreptitiously they reemerge from dark recesses demanding to be addressed.
While some integrate their experiences and apparently manage their lives into normalcy, many others self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, both prescribed and otherwise obtained, and engage in other unorthodox, often antisocial, coping mechanisms.
For too many, suicide provides an ultimate relief. Daily, that number grows, and they are just as much casualties of wars as those felled by bullets, bombs, or insidious explosive devises.
Despite outreach by institutions, often they have lived on the margin and their anguish festered internally. Their muted cries unheard, they lie discarded and fill the ever-expanding rows of Arlington or other national cemeteries.
While lacking fulfillment of victory, those returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other lands of conflict, are spared the malicious degradation that confronted the many of us in the generation that returned from Vietnam.
Some were called “baby killers” and often spat upon by those clueless wonders who slept safely in their beds while half a world away the war raged on. To the activists it mattered not, if the veteran was a volunteer or unfortunate draftee, the fact they had met their county’s call was sufficient for castigation.
A common factor in all of the aforementioned conflicts is the relatively low percentage of Americans who had any direct involvement. For the vast majority of our citizens, wars were something that happened “over there” and rarely impacted their daily life.
For them, the war was sanitized by the media, thus the mental stresses encountered in direct combat well beyond their comprehension. Compounding that disengagement, most Americans really didn’t care about outcomes vague nor issues not simple and explicit.
Crucially, unlike the Vietnam War, during the Global War on Terror, the U.S. heavily relied on Reserve and National Guard units, many having multiple deployments into combat zones. Reintegration into the civilian sector was, again, too often a missing element and abrupt. Often such precipitous returns had serious impact on relationships with family and friends, who had difficulty comprehending the dramatic changes in personality that often occurred.
The Cost
The true cost of that Global War on Terror is unknown and unknowable. Financially, best estimates are well over six trillion dollars, and climbing. But that pales when compared to the human price.
Of American servicemembers, nearly 7,000 died and almost 53,000 were wounded, but not all in Iraq or Afghanistan. Truly overlooked are those U.S. casualties in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines and other even lesser-known conflicts.
Conveniently forgotten, in an effort to keep from the public the real numbers of Americans engaged in those wars, heavy reliance was placed on civilian contractors, doing jobs that in prior conflicts would have been done by Department of Defense personnel.
Similarly lost in the statistics, are the nearly 8,000 American contractors killed in those wars, many of whom were former military members who continued to serve their country. At times, contractors outnumbered troops.
With Congressional complicity, it was a shell game, with total casualties, including those wounded, unknown. Globally, estimates of the fatalities exceed 800,000 while wounded runs in the millions.
But both the pain and costs will not stop with withdrawal. Lasting damage has occurred that cannot be undone.
As a minimum, America has a debt to all who served. That will last their entire lives and beyond. As with wars past, many participants will not recognize their unseen wounds for some time to come. Well camouflaged, they lurk only to emerge unexpectedly.
Moving Forward
Americans are wont to tire of the war. Peace with honor, was a mantra for ending American involvement in Vietnam. We combatants knew there was no victory.
Most also realized that the South Vietnam would not long withstand the onslaught from the North. The last U.S. military troops left in 1973, leaving behind a contingent of civilian personnel. On 30 April, 1975 they evacuated as Saigon fell and true victory went to the forces of Ho Chi Minh.
Now, in Afghanistan, most analysts believe the government in Kabul will fall soon after the American withdrawal. Already, Taliban control has been established in many areas of the country. The only real question is whether or not it will again become a safe-haven for terrorists. The answer is, most likely it will.
Iraq remains unstable. We abandoned our Kurdish allies. The strategic conundrum is the credibility of America, as repeatedly we have proven ourselves to be unreliable. Commitments to NATO and Israel aside, continuity is not an American strongpoint.
For those who have engaged in any of these conflicts, there remains personal honor. In reality, we fought for each other, not a cause. Some believed the official tales of light at the end of the tunnel, others did not. All, once committed, did their duty knowing they wouldn’t let their comrades down. Thus, it has been in all wars.
Now, a new generation of returning warriors must come to terms with valiant efforts, but ones that resulted in unsatisfactory consequences. Each one must address for themselves if their efforts were worth it. But at least they have public support.
John B. Alexander, Ph.D.
U.S. Army (Retired)