Taliban Taking Over Afghanistan - Does anyone care?

[RDU VOL#14]

Sent to the Soviet Union.

Read The Charm School by Nelson Demille. Great book about POWS sent to the Soviet Union.

 

[AirVol]

So was this a Spirit or Allegiance flight?

A C-130 mission with grunts on board.

 

[VolStrom]

A C-130 mission with grunts on board.

Did you share your donuts?

 

[hog88]

Read The Charm School by Nelson Demille. Great book about POWS sent to the Soviet Union.

I've read it. Wouldn't surprise me if there is some truth to it.

 

[hog88]

Did you share your donuts?

AF crew doesn't speak to let alone share donuts with lowly grunts.

 

[VolStrom]

AF crew doesn't speak to let alone share donuts with lowly grunts.

So AF vs grunts is like politicians vs lowly voters, Elite vs loser middle class?

 

[hog88]

So AF vs grunts is like politicians vs lowly voters, Elite vs loser middle class?

Pretty close. They give us rides, drop some bombs for us but don't want us eating with or socializing with them.

 

[DancingOutlaw]

I really hope they had a plan to get friendly ANA collaborators and their families out. The Taliban is fixing to kill a lot of people.

 

[DancingOutlaw]

Also how did we spend two ****ing decades in Afghanistan killing people and training a national army just to watch the country get rolled up in a matter of weeks?

 

[Orangeburst]

Also how did we spend two ****ing decades in Afghanistan killing people and training a national army just to watch the country get rolled up in a matter of weeks?

They are predicting 90 days for the fall of Kabul.

 

[VolStrom]

Pretty close. They give us rides, drop some bombs for us but don't want us eating with or socializing with them.

One of my former bosses was in the AF and he told me about going to the mess hall one day and 2 marines walked in behind him and said "are you F'n kidding me".

 

[hog88]

Also how did we spend two ****ing decades in Afghanistan killing people and training a national army just to watch the country get rolled up in a matter of weeks?

Can't train people that DGAF.

 

[hog88]

One of my former bosses was in the AF and he told me about going to the mess hall one day and 2 marines walked in behind him and said "are you F'n kidding me".

AF has/had the best chow halls without a doubt.

 

[VolStrom]

We need to pull out of Germany next.

 

[AirVol]

Did you share your donuts?

Of course. We bought some for the maintainers too.

 

[VolStrom]

Of course. We bought some for the maintainers too.

Apparently hog didn't get any, lol.

 

[AM64]

No, in this case it's that we leave. Two decades and it's still going to look the same once we leave. It was a complete waste

Viet Nam 2.0. One group dedicated to a path, and another group (potential victims) who don't really care enough to put up a real fight but are happy enough if someone else tries to do it for them ... and they profit from it. You either fight for your beliefs or you don't. Change happens from the inside for the community that actually wants change.

 

[AM64]

Billions of dollars and thousands dead, thousands disabled for life all for nothing. Well, the CIA made billions and so did the contractors.

I guess I used to be too patriotic to believe the thing about contractors and wars. I've become jaded enough that I completely believe defense contractors and associates drive the agenda. Mo war = mo profit.

 

[AM64]

Breaking News: Live press conference .... US sending 3K troops to help w/Afghanistan exit.
It's to be a narrow mission to safeguard civilians.

Mm-hmm.

 

[AM64]

I saw a female journalist reporting from Kandahar, she had to be scared to death and begging to get out.

But she sure loved the money, adventure, and notoriety when she was safe enough.

 

[VolStrom]

I'm really struggling to see how anything we do in the middle east is worth a life? I'm all for giving/selling Israel anything they want, but F that place. It's just like the major American cities, dumb ass people killing dumb ass people.

 

[AM64]

Also how did we spend two ****ing decades in Afghanistan killing people and training a national army just to watch the country get rolled up in a matter of weeks?

We spent that time hiring and paying contractors to make it look like we were building a nation and their defense. Think Patton's phantom army prior to D-Day.

 

[hog88]

We spent that time hiring and paying contractors to make it look like we were building a nation and their defense. Think Patton's phantom army prior to D-Day.

Bad comparison. Pattons faux army actually worked.

 

[Orangeburst]

Viet Nam 2.0. One group dedicated to a path, and another group (potential victims) who don't really care enough to put up a real fight but are happy enough if someone else tries to do it for them ... and they profit from it. You either fight for your beliefs or you don't. Change happens from the inside for the community that actually wants change.

Shimminy..we are heading there ourselves

 

[volinbham]

Also how did we spend two ****ing decades in Afghanistan killing people and training a national army just to watch the country get rolled up in a matter of weeks?

1) dumb ass rules of engagement
2) ongoing belief by both parties that we could get people to change their culture if we build enough schools for them

It's kinda like the A-bomb argument; if we'd had the cajones to go medieval on the Taliban in the first place and set the example of what happens if you harbor terrorists then countless lives and treasure (for all involved) would have been saved.