Veterans Remember Impact of Afghanistan Service
August 17, 2021 | By Mike Erwin, Executive Director in News & Media
The tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan cut especially deep as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and remember how long we’ve been invested in that country. The campaign consumed the professional lives of many veterans, including me. Between June 2006 and August 2009, I deployed to southern Afghanistan twice for a combined 16 months.
All of us who served in Afghanistan made a difference. And not for one minute will I allow others to forget that. While it might feel like “20 years for nothing” right now, that is not how this story will end.
As we contemplate the price paid — the blood spilled and those lost — we feel anger and sadness. We can question whether our service had meaning and whether our brothers’ and sisters’ sacrifices were given for a worthy cause.
