Will America use its power to prevent a brutal and senseless land war in Europe?
Adrian Bonenberger is a writer and Army veteran who served two deployments to Afghanistan as an infantry officer. He is the author of Afghan Post and The Disappointed Soldier and Other Stories From War, and his essays and reporting have appeared The New York Times, The Washington Post and Foreign Policy
After a collapse that took everyone off guard, “experts” retreated further into comforting fantasies about the mission and its significance rather than finally facing reality.
The swift transition to Taliban rule has veterans like me wondering how we could’ve gotten the country so wrong. But the real Afghanistan was always right in front of us.
After 9/11 more private contractors took over security responsibilities on military bases as troops headed overseas. Recent veterans weigh in on the impact of that shift.