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Afghanistan: An Individual Soldier's Perspective Part 3 (9/11 Edition)

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posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 04:51 PM
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9/11 was a business opportunity and my friends and I were part of a protection racket with no purpose. I take pride in my military service for the personal changes inculcated through training and experiencing war first hand. But the war itself became an even bigger lie when we killed bin Laden and then stayed...

The Afghanistan Papers revealed a lazy justification for continued operations in Afghanistan. A strategic black hole where otherwise intelligent military doctrine broke down into a toxic sludge of "pass the buck" leadership and profiteering.

What we forgot about 9/11 is just how much power we handed these people back then who now endeavor to crush us today.

Those innocent people were sacrificed on 9/11 for what Barack Obama would later call "a fundamental transformation of America" as he pretended to run against the policies of the Bush Administration.

It was all a trap for us and 19 years later it is very obvious that we fell for it.

We must never forget how easy it is to drag a peaceable people into war. Artificially prolonged war. Meaning that no real cause beyond the veneer of propaganda and lies from military leadership and presidential administration's going back 19 years is present. There's no depth here. No cause.

We forgot how to be peaceful and since we have no real enemies we now turn the tools of the Post 9/11 American spy and war machine we created 19 years ago against one another.

My how we have forgotten.



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:12 PM
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a reply to: projectvxn

I remember you as a civilian in the chat room.
I was proud of you for going but I saw the look in your eye when you got back (avatars)....I pay attention.
From what I can recollect (which isn't much) you were a heli guy if I am correct?

edit on 12-9-2020 by DrumsRfun because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:15 PM
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originally posted by: projectvxn
9/11 was a business opportunity and my friends and I were part of a protection racket with no purpose. I take pride in my military service for the personal changes inculcated through training and experiencing war first hand. But the war itself became an even bigger lie when we killed bin Laden and then stayed...

The Afghanistan Papers revealed a lazy justification for continued operations in Afghanistan. A strategic black hole where otherwise intelligent military doctrine broke down into a toxic sludge of "pass the buck" leadership and profiteering.

What we forgot about 9/11 is just how much power we handed these people back then who now endeavor to crush us today.

Those innocent people were sacrificed on 9/11 for what Barack Obama would later call "a fundamental transformation of America" as he pretended to run against the policies of the Bush Administration.

It was all a trap for us and 19 years later it is very obvious that we fell for it.

We must never forget how easy it is to drag a peaceable people into war. Artificially prolonged war. Meaning that no real cause beyond the veneer of propaganda and lies from military leadership and presidential administration's going back 19 years is present. There's no depth here. No cause.

We forgot how to be peaceful and since we have no real enemies we now turn the tools of the Post 9/11 American spy and war machine we created 19 years ago against one another.

My how we have forgotten.



As a United States Air Force Vietnam veteran who served in Southeast Asia I can say one thing for sure your above statement is absolutely true there is no reason why we were fighting in Vietnam
we are told about the communism the domino effect but how is that going to affect America these poor little Vietnamese people coming over when their bamboo made canoes want to invade America how foolish we were as young men and women how foolish we were.
A con job by our politicians.
I do agree with President Trump if we go to war it's because we are being attacked.
Bottom line for me was this war sucks if you're not being attacked in your own country.



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:19 PM
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Thamk you projectvxn for the wise words. Looking oneself in the mirror is never easy. I applaud your courage for doing so. I think you are one hell of a guy today



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:24 PM
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a reply to: musicismagic

Someone had to protect LBJ's rubber plantation...



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:24 PM
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Man, this is double day. I'm going to purchase a power ball ticket tonight...

edit on 9/12/2020 by NightFlight because: two doubles in a row. Wow.



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 05:55 PM
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a reply to: DrumsRfun

Yeah.

Got into a lot of crap protecting people. I'm proud of what I did out there. But I'm not proud that we were out there.



posted on Sep, 12 2020 @ 07:40 PM
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a reply to: projectvxn
Very well said.



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 12:14 AM
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a reply to: projectvxn

It's maddening how normalized people have become to the nations longest wars. People are so distracted and reactionary to the here and now that it's just never something people really sit down and think about. I think that speaks volume for the state of affairs in our society, and their awareness (lack there) of what our wealth is used on.

And I'm not just talking about money, but if most humans have six degrees of separation, how many degrees are affected by us sending young men and women abroad for something most citizens aren't passionate about much less hardly acknowledge. That service is supposed to be the ultimate sacrifice we ask of those who serve.



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 12:26 AM
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a reply to: CriticalStinker




That service is supposed to be the ultimate sacrifice we ask of those who serve.


And so long as the nation asks there will be those who answer.

But for 20 years no one has asked. They long ago stopped publicly debating whether to fund the missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. 9/11 was the very date Americans stopped standing in the way of the government running roughshod over the world. Back then my biggest concern was that the weapons of the War on Terror would one day turn inward. I was wrong in that it is FAR WORSE in what has been brought to bear against the American people and the world.

9/11 was such a fat cow from which they milked the authority to reshape the world that it is still being milked to this day. I mourn for the deaths of those who lost their lives. I also mourn for a nation that lost its soul slowly by ceding our responsibility as citizens to the unscrupulous and evil people in whom we vested such ultimate authority.


edit on 9 13 2020 by projectvxn because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 12:46 AM
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For those of you interested, here are parts 1 and 2:

Afghanistan: An Individual Soldiers' Perspective-Part 1 written while deployed to Afghanistan in 2013.

Afghanistan: An Individual Soldiers' Perspective Part 2-The Afghan National Army

I was still in Afghanistan. I had completed so many missions with ANA special forces as well as their coalition partner forces (USSOF teams, SAS, Lithuanians, Australians, Italians, etc.) and had gained a lot of respect for them. I wrote this a few months after a firefight in Tarin Kowt we were in and the ANA soldiers there took the fight to the enemy and defended their base right alongside the Australian SF units I was there to support.

I went on several air assault missions against the Taliban with ANA commandos who were every bit as professional as the SAS who trained them.

Long story short, I got to know the ANA both their conventional forces stuck on guard duty the same as me and the special operators taking the fight to the enemy - coming out of the sky like dirty and tough as # valkyries.

I understand now that my experiences with the ANA were not typical. Most ANA units are disjointed garbage units filled jihadists and undisciplined people.

But the ones I was with were generally pretty solid.

It is very clear how deeply my perspective has had to change over time for me to have gotten to this point.
edit on 9 13 2020 by projectvxn because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 12:47 AM
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a reply to: projectvxn

I hope we come to reconcile it at some point. I think that would be symbolic of our shift to better their collective efforts as a nation.

I just don't see it happening while people seem like they're refusing to acknowledge other aspects of our interactions with the world.



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 05:02 AM
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a reply to: projectvxn

Hey man great reading, all 3 threads.

Can i ask you a question. It is a valid one.

When Americans claim their soldiers are "fighting for our freedom", when clearly they aren't fighting for their freedom. America will always be free. As in, never be ruled by another country. Even when their soldiers are fighting thousands of miles away.
Why do they say that?
Ive always been perplexed by that statement, i did a thread on it 5 years ago here
A Question For All America

I know my question is not related to this thread, but as you are military i thought i would ask. If you dont want to reply in this thread, obviously thats fine. Maybe reply in the linked one. I read your 3 threads and it came to mind to ask you.



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 08:10 AM
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a reply to: SecretKnowledge

In fact, in one of those threads I made it quite clear that we were not there fighting for American freedom.

We were, to some extent, fighting for Afghan freedom and I took pride in those missions. Still do.

I've never been under the illusion that what we do overseas is anything but militaristic adventurism. It's why I firmly believe that Americans lost the will to be peaceful people.

Prolonged wars destroy the nation that engages in them. Damages their psyche long term. Eventually the rationalizations start. That's where you hear the "fighting for American freedom" stuff. It's insecurity. It is the fear of the realization that what we do isn't always noble and someone always profits.

The situation isn't cut and dry. In many cases I was involved in missions to capture or kill serious bad guys. I was also involved in Key Leader Engagement missions that were diplomatic in nature to ascertain the needs of often isolated Afghan communities.

Nothing I did out there protected the American way of life. The only Americans I protected were the ones I deployed with/served with in theater.

I hope this answers your question in a satisfactory manner.
edit on 9 13 2020 by projectvxn because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 02:33 PM
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a reply to: projectvxn




It is the fear of the realization that what we do isn't always noble and someone always profits


Powerful words..

The "fighting for our freedom" mantra seems ingrained in every American, military and civilian.
"our soldiers are fighting for our freedom". So many times ive heard it.

Thanks for your reply, its different to the ones i got in the thread i linked. Good to hear from a soldier's viewpoint



posted on Sep, 13 2020 @ 07:02 PM
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a reply to: SecretKnowledge




Powerful words..


It's the only assessment to be made.




The "fighting for our freedom" mantra seems ingrained in every American, military and civilian.


I don't think after 19 years of war that anyone believes that the mission we're engaged in has anything to do with American freedom when we've all been at the mall this whole time enjoying the liberty we send others to defend in direct and indirect ways. In doing so we ignore all the instances where this is simply NOT the premise of the mission. THOSE missions are what needs to end. With that, much of our ridiculous global military presence.

This is not to say that I believe we should withdraw from the world. There are AOs that are absolutely essential to safety around the world and those are AOs where nukes are in play. There are compelling arguments for real humanitarian interventions where the threat of annihilation of a whole people is clear and present. Anyone trying to hold the world hostage, for instance.

I believe in what the president is doing with all of these peace deals. I'm truly hopeful that the next decade will bring us as close to world peace as we have ever been for the efforts put forth today.




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