Afghanistan wasn't all for nothing, says Army vet

[question everything]

Further, he says: We did good!

A really touching clip. From August 22nd CBS This Morning

[peppertree]

1. It sure wasn't

I know of one guy who had a grimy little factory making plastic thingamajigs - until he landed a Pentagon contract shortly after the invasion.

He died a few years ago, and left his widow a rip-roarious oceanfront mansion.

She recently sold it, top dollar.

There must be thousands of stories like that - so yes, for them it wasn't all for nothing.

[question everything]

2. What a cynic commentary. Would you be willing to tell this to that vet, to his face?

I doubt it. Oh, the anonymity of the Internet.

[peppertree]

3. HE did great - everything (and more) that anyone could expect from him, and all other Afghan vets

A family member of mine included.

But IT was, indeed, all for nothing (with the preceding caveats, of course).

That's the distinction here.

[choie]

4. I'm sorry - there's no need to rewrite history.

That this well meaning vet wants and needs to justify our misbegotten adventure in Afghanistan is understandable. But we don’t have to join him in the fantasy. We killed thousands and hundreds of our armed forces died - for what? To dig wells and schools? Come on. “Doing good” in Afghanistan came with a great cost in lives, money (a hell of a lot of which went to our contractors and mercenaries) and our moral compass. It’s not cynical, it’s the truth.

[peppertree]

5. Hear, hear.

And can you imagine if that $1.2 trillion had been spent building up THIS nation.

Including - say - top-notch care for our vets, which as we all know was the last thing on Dubya's mind (smarmy little draft-dodger he is).

[question everything]

6. How unfortunate that you feel this way

How easy it is to sit at a comfortable place not being subjected to battle fields and oh, so loftily express an opinion. Perhaps we do need to bring back the draft.

Travis Mills literally replied to the call of the country; literally served the country and paid with his body. I don't know how old you are, but I was hoping that the jeers and boos and spits that met the Vietnam Vets were behind us.

Would you rather follow Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who concluded his rant

Marine LT Col Says "Follow Me And We Will Bring The Whole F****** System Down"

[peppertree]

7. You're missing the point: those in uniform were the HEROES - but the war was both absurd and obscene

Absurd because - like Vietnam - the war (NOT those who served) accomplished nothing that even remotely justify the time, the 6,500 U.S. lives, or $2 trillion.

And obscene because of the anecdote mentioned above (among many other things).