Vets talk about Afghanistan

David Bozarth – VFW Department of Missouri District 7 Commander – Bozarth was in the Navy as a submariner aboard the Lewis and Clark SSBN 644 from 1979 – 1984.

“The biggest thing that all vets want and deserve is that their sacrifices are appreciated and not in vain. Every vet, at some point, has signed a blank check with their life that they are willing to do what it takes to defend this country. What did we gain for 20 years? When you have given so much what is going on in Afghanistan is like getting punched in the gut.”

Gary Vickers -Vietnam Veteran – You know, it’s hard to help people who won’t help themselves. We spent 20 years there trying to help those people. It reminds me a lot of Vietnam.  The politicians sold us out. The Taliban are crazy enough to start this thing up again. The politics of war has never impressed me.

Mike Morin – Desert Storm -I don’t think there was ever going to be a good exit plan to get out of Afghanistan. It ended up looking a lot like Vietnam.

It could have worked, a lot of it would depend on the Afghanis’ will to make the sacrifices, as we say “write that check.”

They needed to be willing to put their life on the line. It can’t be just a few.

Aaron Brown – two tours in Iraq, two tours in Afghanistan – I don’t think it is a very ethical thing. I think the administration wanted to celebrate Sept 11.

I lost six friends over there. I don’t think we should have given up. I don’t think it was ethical or moral. We now have volunteers going house to house with the British and the Dutch because our own military have been told they can’t. This is not a representation of our military. It’s not the American way to do things. The world will see it as American. Why would our allies ever trust us again? It breaks my heart.