When Jeff and I first heard the news that we were given a date certain for all US troops to leave Afghanistan, we were taken aback.  After 20 long years of MFSO families working so hard to make this happen and always watchful of approaching deadlines and promises, it’s seems odd to be startled at the news? Even after hearing it officially from President Biden’s own lips, we are still in disbelief. Since that day the MFSO office has been receiving emails from members who have been part of the struggle over the years and who wanted to share their feelings and concerns about what it all means to us as military families. Below are some of the statements we were allowed to share with you. We hope you will send your thoughts too so we can share them.

“It is long past time for the U.S. military role in Afghanistan to end. Military families who have been speaking out for many years to bring our troops home know that this move honors our troops – including those who died as a result of this ‘forever’ war – because continued death, including the deaths of increasing numbers of Afghan civilians, honors no one, and solves no problems. There is much that must happen now, including taking care of our troops coming home with visible and hidden injuries of war, and bringing about a new foreign policy that opposes these occupations and will not hinder the emergence of civilian voices, leaders and the forces who will ultimately bring justice and peace to their own country.”
Nancy Lessin, Co-founder, Military Families Speak Out

I am delighted to hear the news that we will bring home all troops from Afghanistan by Sept 11, 2021.  Our cries have been heard!  I hope that this will be the first of our troops matching home from all countries we have no business being in! I am cautiously optimistic that this will come to pass but I know the MIC is not happy about it. What shall be, shall be.
Diane Bremer
Mom of active duty son, Army
Red Wing, Minnesota

I feel tremendous relief that the troops are coming home from Afghanistan.  I also feel an overwhelming sadness for the men and women who served in Afghanistan; for those who did not come home, were injured (physically or mentally) or committed suicide.  I also feel great sadness for the huge losses and suffering the Afghan people endured and will continue to endure in their homeland destroyed by 20 years of war.

As the Afghanistan Papers confirmed, the military and the U.S. government knew early on that the Afghanistan War was a debacle and could not be won.  It didn’t understand Afghanistan nor did it have a strategy.  Yet, our government and military were unwilling to admit the Afghanistan war could not be won, damn the consequences.

These tragic decisions have destroyed people on all sides, for absolutely no gain.  This is shameful.  When will we learn that war and violence are not the path to a better world?
Mary Hladky, Mother of Army Infantry Officer who served 13 months, during Obama’s Surge, Zhari District, Kandahar Province

What a terrible and shameful tragedy – the war against Afghanistan. More than 2400 American troops and more than 38,000 Afghan civilians were killed. (NYTimes, 2019) There were many millions of war refugees. There were countless people injured. Moral injury, PTSD and other devastating impacts of war will persist. The poisoning of civilians and military from burn pits, the damage to the environment and people’s health has been horrendous. My heart goes out to other military families and Afghan families whose loved ones were killed or injured.  The costs were over $1.5 trillion dollars, not including money spent on medical and disability costs for veterans, all money that should have been spent instead in our communities for education, housing, health care, social services and other human needs. Shame on the elected officials who voted for this war and those who voted to continue funding the war. A salute to the millions of people who marched and demonstrated, lobbied and petitioned both to prevent the war in Afghanistan and to demand an end to the war. We will remain vigilant to make sure that not only the troops come home, but the contractors, the CIA, the Special Forces, must come home, too. We must make sure that absolutely no U.S. drones or other weapons of war will be used in Afghanistan.
Paula Rogovin, mother of an Iraq war veteran

It’s been 20 years now and it’s past time for our troops to come home. I have more faith in President Biden bringing the troops home than I did in the former president.  I believe President Biden will make a smooth transition and not make more problems for us. This is a start, but we need all the troops out of the Middle East.
Ed Garza, Former board member
Santa Ana CA

I am relieved that our troops are finally leaving Afghanistan after 20 years, but I’m concerned that we have not learned our lesson about the costs of starting and continuing wars of choice. We should have been out of Afghanistan shortly after we went in.  Delta Force spotted Osama Bin Laden leaving the mountain caves for Pakistan after the Battle of Tora Bora but was denied permission to take him out. That would have ended our involvement.

I am now concerned about the future of the Afghanis who helped US forces as translators, etc., and those who tried to bring democracy to Afghanistan.  I hope that President Biden will welcome them into the US as refugees as they will be in danger when the Taliban returns to power.

Our wars of choice have destroyed nations (Vietnam and Iraq) while bringing riches to the corporations that supply war. Tens of thousands of our troops have died or are injured from wounds seen or unseen, families have been destroyed. I hope we will not repeat these mistakes.
Anna Berlinrut, Mom of Marine deployed 8 times in harm’s way
Connecticut

I’m heartened by President Biden’s resolve to end the war in Afghanistan.  However,  I’ll believe it when I see it because other presidents like Bush, (“Mission Accomplished”), Obama and Trump,  promised before, but no one has brought them all home yet. But I’m hopeful he will follow through this time. As a military family member himself, I believe Biden really understands the toll war takes on our families more than the other presidents did . He knows what it’s like to wait and wonder. My daughter was injured when she was deployed and we had to wait so long to find out how she was. If you’ve been a military family member long enough you will do whatever it takes to find out how your loved one is.
Lorna Farnum
Daughter deployed to Kosovo
Hawaii

I have cautious optimism regarding brining our troops home.  It is past time, that is a worldwide truth.  I am holding my breath for every family and friend of a deployed troop.  The joy of thinking they will be home soon; is balance with the possibility of retaliation.  That is hell.  I grieve, I rejoice.
Corla Coles,
Mother in law of Active Duty Army Reserve
Redlands, CA

Oh God. I think it’s a good move and that it’s inevitable. I wonder, are we really getting out? It’s a win for the US, but a tragedy for the Afghani people. As inevitable as this is, it’s unavoidable.  Who would have thought that 9/11 would be the beginning of a 20 year war- America’s longest war that would cost $2 trillion, the lives of tens of thousands Afghans -3,502 NATO casualties  and over 2, 312 of our US troops. I remember when Bin Laden died, I was in NYC and people we jubilant. I was with them, and then I thought later that I never celebrated someone dying before.

Afghanistan has a corrupt government, there’s no real industry except opium. 70% of Afghans live on a dollar a day, there are few schools, their infrastructure is weak, electricity and water are erratic in the nation’s capital, and I fear women and girls are going to be the ones who will suffer the most. Where does the Taliban get their money? Why aren’t we talking about that? The pain is going to come, but what can you say? You can’t police the whole world, but if we haven’t fixed this in 20 years, we never are going to fix it.  After 20 years of presidents saying we’re getting out, the US has no credibility. I’ll believe it when I see it. This announcement is dredging up a lot of emotions right now for veterans and military families.
Don Kimball,
Uncle to Active Duty Marine and veteran
South Portland, ME

As military families whose loved ones/children have been in Afghanistan, we welcome the news that our troops are coming home. We hope that this is just the beginning of troop withdrawals from the Middle East and other countries where we have participated in unjust wars. These wars have endangered the lives of our children and haven’t done anything to protect us.
Rossana Cambron
Mother of action duty Army
Los Angeles, CA

LA Times Letters to the Editor – April 1, 2021

“To the editor: How were we able to sustain 20 years of war? Multiple troop deployments and a spineless Congress that hid behind the AUMF. Throughout three presidential administrations, Congress has failed in one of its most sacred duties — to protect this country and the lives of our troops.

After I once complained about my son’s sixth deployment, someone thoughtlessly responded: “Well, he wanted to go, didn’t he?” Yes, and the truth is that he and most of his other buddies would agree to redeploy as often as they were asked to, regardless of their physical and mental state. That is what they were trained to do. But the founders never meant for one man, the president, to have complete authority to send these troops to war. They wisely gave Congress the power to authorize and fund war to limit the president’s power.

We don’t need the AUMF to protect us. Just get rid of it.

Pat Alviso, Long Beach

Military Families Speak Out are deeply appalled by President Trump’s recent remarks regarding the severe injuries suffered by US Service members as a result of Iran’s retaliatory strike that took place on January 8, 2020 at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. During a press conference, President Trump downplayed the seriousness of the over 109 diagnosed cases of traumatic brain injuries suffered by our troops. Below is a letter from members of Military Families Speak Out demanding an apology from President Trump and Defense Secretary Mike Pompeo for their callous and offensive remarks: 

Open Letter to President Trump,  

Initially, you and the Pentagon reported that no US service members were injured or killed in the January 8th Iranian missile attack, which was in retaliation for the Jan 2 US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. At an address after the attack you said: 

“No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties. All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases”. Later during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, after the public learned that US service members had been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injuries, you were asked, “So you don’t consider potential traumatic brain injury serious?. You replied,” No, I do not consider that to be bad injuries, no” and referred to such injuries as “headaches”. 

Such callous remarks are deeply offensive and are evidence of your serious lack of education on this matter. As of today, we have not heard any admission from you, the Pentagon or Secretary of Defense, Mike Pompeo, that traumatic brain injuries are one of the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and often considered by medical professionals as a grave injury. As Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces your statements have left our troops, their families and loved ones feeling deeply hurt and betrayed. Our loved ones have been the victims of these unjust wars for almost 20 years. It also dealt a major setback to much of the efforts that many of us, including the VA Administration, have spent educating the public about the seriousness of Traumatic Brain Injury and other invisible wounds of war, such as PTSD, moral injury, death by suicide and military sexual trauma. 

As many military families know firsthand, Traumatic Brain Injury is serious and often causes permanent neurological damage. The effects of TBI on our returning troops may not be obvious to many, but we know how debilitating this injury can be and that it has destroyed many US Service member’s health to the degree that it has caused many of them to be unable to lead physically and emotionally functional lives. Military Families Speak Out and our troops expect better of you and the Department of Defense and want and deserve an apology. Such recognition of the injuries caused by these unjust wars will go a long way in helping our loved ones begin to heal from lifelong injuries sustained by our current wars of aggression and remind the public that it is long past the time for us to end these wars and bring all of our troops home. 

Military Families Speak Out participated in the 23rd annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 9, 2019 on Atlantic Avenue in North Long Beach. Photo by Geronimo Quitoriano