RE: US and Taliban sign deal to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan
March 2, 2020 at 10:18 am
The unstable political situation is what's kept us there - foreign and domestic, lol. The US does not want to be seen as a country that cuts and runs. Our power and authority on the global stage has been traditionally derived from our credibility. To be seen as a competent nation builder, while (hopefully) installing a regime that is more closely aligned with our interests is worth more than all of the dirt in afghanistan.
At the individual level, none of the above matters much. A kid from iowa isn't prospecting for gold in uniform. There is a genuine empathy and concern for the people you see every day. They're faces and people with families and businesses, not numbers, and not ideological props for anti-american sentiment. The regime in power victimizes them with routine vigor. Guys in armored vehicles fare alot better than civilian pedestrians when things pop off.
At the individual level, none of the above matters much. A kid from iowa isn't prospecting for gold in uniform. There is a genuine empathy and concern for the people you see every day. They're faces and people with families and businesses, not numbers, and not ideological props for anti-american sentiment. The regime in power victimizes them with routine vigor. Guys in armored vehicles fare alot better than civilian pedestrians when things pop off.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
