The Forgotten War
Afghanistan. Its one of those places that, up until a decade ago, I probably couldn't point to on a map. However, in the last ten years it has become an onus for the United States. On Thursday, 8 NATO troops, and a U.S. civilian contractor were killed by an Afghan military pilot. Its the deadliest incident of its kind since the war began. As I read the news, I realized what was bothering me -- American and other ally troops have been fighting a war in that country for nearly 10 years.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I feel as though nothing has changed. The fervor and support of a military operation was so strong in the days and weeks after 9/11 and now it is a distant memory. In the beginning it was about toppling the Taliban and hunting down Osama Bin Laden, but what is it now? At most times its benign, distant and unreal to the American people. Those without family members or friends serving in the military don't think about Afghanistan every day. A recent article in an Australian newspaper labeled Afghanistan "the forgotten war."
How does a war drag on so long that it becomes forgotten? In historic times, wars lasted decades and in some cases a century, but this is the modern world where things change by the second and attention spans are non-existent. It seems unreal that a military operation that was only supposed to last a few months has turned into a forgotten conquest. In the case of the most recent attack in Afghanistan, the Afghan pilot who opened fire was said to have done so out of frustration over financial issues.
The people of Afghanistan feel disenfranchised at this point. The U.S. ushered in a democratic government and while it was a welcome change from the Taliban rule ... is it really what the people of this country want? I wonder if this incident is a sign of things to come. Whatever is on the horizon for Afghanistan and the troops on the ground fighting this war, I hope they are never forgotten.
P.S. Three days after I wrote this blog, I watched with the rest of the world as President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden. There are still no definite plans for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I feel as though nothing has changed. The fervor and support of a military operation was so strong in the days and weeks after 9/11 and now it is a distant memory. In the beginning it was about toppling the Taliban and hunting down Osama Bin Laden, but what is it now? At most times its benign, distant and unreal to the American people. Those without family members or friends serving in the military don't think about Afghanistan every day. A recent article in an Australian newspaper labeled Afghanistan "the forgotten war."
How does a war drag on so long that it becomes forgotten? In historic times, wars lasted decades and in some cases a century, but this is the modern world where things change by the second and attention spans are non-existent. It seems unreal that a military operation that was only supposed to last a few months has turned into a forgotten conquest. In the case of the most recent attack in Afghanistan, the Afghan pilot who opened fire was said to have done so out of frustration over financial issues.
The people of Afghanistan feel disenfranchised at this point. The U.S. ushered in a democratic government and while it was a welcome change from the Taliban rule ... is it really what the people of this country want? I wonder if this incident is a sign of things to come. Whatever is on the horizon for Afghanistan and the troops on the ground fighting this war, I hope they are never forgotten.
P.S. Three days after I wrote this blog, I watched with the rest of the world as President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden. There are still no definite plans for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan.
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