Editorial

We stand behind our veterans

Saturday, September 4, 2021

The decision by the current presidential administration to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan after 20 years, and the seemingly rushed and chaotic way it was done, no doubt has left countless Americans and service members struggling with a range of emotions.

The messy transfer of power to the Taliban in Afghanistan over the last couple weeks has drawn the ire of leaders the world over for the way it was done, not to mention the end result.

Last week, 13 American service members, including 11 Marines, one Army soldier and one Navy corpsman, were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their location at the Kabul airport.

It was a dark day for our country, and the whole process has left countless veterans questioning if their service was in vain or if it ever really meant anything.

Calls to crisis hotlines have increased significantly over the last several days as veterans struggle with what has happened.

At the Veterans Administration’s hotline, nearly 9,000 calls were fielded in a four-day period from Aug. 13-16.

According to the VA, that’s a 12% increase from the same reporting period last year.

And it’s only gotten worse.

By Aug. 25, the call volume increased by 17%.

A veteran-led nonprofit, Stop Soldiers Suicide, also has seen a significant increase in calls to its hotline and is estimating a 15-20% jump.

More than 800,000 Americans served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, and more than 2,400 lost their lives doing so.

Now, it’s our turn to serve them. Our country owes these veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude, and they need to know we will always have their backs.