The war in Afghanistan doesn't often make the headlines. For those of us who don't have a loved one who is serving, we go about our daily lives and although we know that we are a nation at war, how much thought do we actually give to this conflict? There was a time in our nation's history that when we had troops deployed, the entire nation went to war. I remember my grandmother's stories about World War II, with the sales of war bonds, and rationing and how women flooded the workplace to fill in for the men who were serving overseas. The war was front and center of every newspaper, on the nightly news broadcasts and even before feature films at the local theater.
Even as recently as the first invasion of Iraq, the war was mainstream in the nation's consciousness. Yellow ribbons and other symbols that showed support of our troops could be seen everywhere. Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield were on the front page of every paper, the headline of every national news broadcast. General Norman Schwarzkopf was practically a super star as the leader of American forces. Topps, the baseball card company, as well as a couple of other trading card manufacturers, released sets of Gulf War trading cards. The heroes of the war in Afghanistan have not received such pop-culture honors. Today's servicemen and women quietly serve their country, often serving multiple tours of duty, and then quietly return home to pick up the pieces of their lives. They often return home unnoticed except by their friends and family.
The twin invasions that are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were initiated by the Bush administration were, by design, quiet wars. President Bush forbade the media from capturing images of the coffins of our dead soldiers when they arrived at Dover Air Force Base. Our government didn't want us to think about that. After President Obama took office the media blackout was lifted--but has largely been ignored by the press.
Although President Obama is to be commended for setting a date for withdrawal of our combat forces, 2014 is not good enough. Why are we still there? Osama bin Laden has been dead for over a year now. Justice for the deaths of over three-thousand Americans on 9/11 was delivered swiftly with President Obama's order to Navy Seal Team Six. With the death of its leader, bin Laden, terrorist organization al Qaeda has been declining and is no longer the threat it once was to the safety of Americans. The Taliban's stronghold in Afghan government has been significantly weakened as a result of the efforts of our troops.
Many of our leaders feel that ensuring that Afghanistan is stable as a nation before we exit is important to our continued national security, and they have a point. However, I'd be hard pressed to make the argument that Afghanistan has ever been stable. A little more than 20 hours ago, Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed Pakistan for the attempted assassination of the country's intelligence chief, Asadullah Khalid. The Taliban took responsibility for the suicide bomber and Karzai offered no evidence that pointed to Pakistan, but blaming the neighboring country is a matter of course for the leader of Afghanistan. The relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan has always been a contentious one. It was Pakistan that was harboring bin Laden, after all (though Pakistani officials claimed to not know of his presence under their collective noses, a statement many have a very hard time believing).
The governmental structure of Afghanistan is one of constant tumult, to put it mildly, and Karzai has proven time and again that his allegiance lies with himself and not necessarily with the good of the Afghan people and certainly not the agenda of the Untied States or its NATO allies. The point being, if we're waiting for the stabilization of the country, the world has been waiting since the dawn of time for that and we will continue to wait for a very long time.
As of December 7, 2012 over 18,000 soldiers have been combat wounded in Afghanistan. 679 soldiers have had a limb amputated. Of that number, 230 lost two limbs, 36 lost three limbs and 4 of our soldiers lost both arms and both legs. In 2011 alone, 190 of our troops suffered damaged or destroyed sexual organs resulting from IED blasts, the number one reason for amputations. 2,138 soldiers breathed their last in a country far away from home, in a war that rarely makes the news anymore.
I did not know. I am a well informed person when it comes to current events. I spend a significant amount of time educating myself about the world around me. I utilize a number of different resources in my quest for knowledge, and I did not know. If I didn't know, then what are the odds that the average American who only follows the news casually, knows of the lives lost in Afghanistan? 2,138 stories of bravery and the ultimate sacrifice; 2,138 occasions to wonder what kind of lives these brave men and women might have led, who they might have been, what contributions to society they might have made. 2,138 instances of we will never know.
We sit idly by watching Republicans and Democrats alike play politics like it's a game of chess, never once stopping to consider that there are real lives at stake with every decision that they make. We shake our heads in frustration and grumble at the inaction of the "Do-nothing" 112th Congress, which enjoys a nationwide approval rating that is significantly less than that of the IRS or of lawyers. Communism has a higher approval record than our Congress, and no, I didn't make that up. Someone actually took a poll and asked.
The President is moving us in the right direction by setting a timeline for the withdrawal of our troops, but why wait until 2014? Perhaps you're thinking that someone should do something about it and you're right. The person that should do something is you...and me. To remain silent is to consent. Our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends that are serving in Afghanistan don't have the luxury of our silent acceptance. We have the power to bring our service members home at our fingertips. E-mail, phone or fax your representatives in Congress and President Obama and let them know that 2014 is not acceptable. Tell them to bring our soldiers home now--and don't just do it once, contact them over and over again until they're forced to act. Sign a petition on line. Share the information with your friends on social media. Write a letter to your local newspaper.
We have the ability to make a difference and to show our troops that we have not forgotten and that their service and their sacrifice matters to us. We cannot afford to sit by in silent acceptance nor can our service members. How many more lives will we lose before the end of 2014? Whose life can we save by taking action? Taking a stand and demanding that Congress and the President take a stand is the single best way to honor the 2,138 men and women who have given their lives to answer their country's call. A call that ultimately, we gave. There is enough blood on our hands already.
You can see the faces of the 2,138 men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country courtesy of the Washington Post.
You can find your Congressperson's and Senator's contact information here.
Send a message to President Obama.
Sign the petition at Whitehouse.gov to request that President Obama begin withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan immediately.
*note: I do not recommend handwriting a letter to your representatives. As a result of the Anthrax scares of the past, letters to members of Congress are now opened at a different location and can take up to six weeks to be delivered to the intended recipient.
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