The Afghan lessons
THE END WAS GOING TO BE PAINFUL. DURING THE COURSE of several administrations, the American public had grown tired of the war in Afghanistan and simply wanted it to end. The Biden Administration decided to rip the bandage off, but unfortunately it ripped off a tourniquet, and we are watching the hemorrhaging of American honor and the death of the hopes and dreams of many Afghans—particularly many girls and women.
How did we get to this point? Let me share my journey.
The war in Afghanistan began on Sept. 11, 2001. I was a freshly selected one-star admiral, the gold braid brand-new on the sleeves of my service dress blue uniform. My office was on the outer “E-ring” of the Pentagon, and through the windows across the corridor, I glimpsed a Boeing 757 just before it struck the
