LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE

“You Have Not Sacrificed in Vain…”

In 2011, I served with a special operations task force in Afghanistan targeting senior Taliban and Al Qaeda leadership. Wearing the cloth of our nation and serving alongside the men and women of our armed forces was the greatest honor of my life. Much has been said and written over the past 72 hours of the tragedy that has unfolded in Afghanistan. It did not have to end this way. I fear for the well-being of the Afghan people, especially the children, the women and all who worked for security and freedom there. I am concerned that the world and our homeland are a less safe place now.?I regret the tarnish that has come to the honorable image of the United States of America by the incompetent decisions and actions of a political elite. These are all important issues with enduring consequences.

What troubles me most though right now is the concern, confusion and sadness of the veterans and their families who sacrificed so much in “Operation Enduring Freedom”- our 20 years of war in Afghanistan.?Our brothers and sisters who served in this far away land wonder: what it was all for??Great pain is felt especially by those who were wounded in battle, and many also who struggle still with the long-term effects of war through depression and PTSD.?And the most pain is felt I know by our Gold Star families- the survivors of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. 2,448 U.S. service members killed in action.

Speeches and words mean so little when weighed against the real word experience of those who have seen the very real consequences of war. I rotated out of Afghanistan on August 1, 2011.?While I waited for my flight from Bagram Air Base, I saw an almost faded poster with a silhouette of U.S. troops.?It said simply: “Live a life worthy of their sacrifice.” Five days later, those words hit me in a way I could have never imagined.?I learned that many members of the team I had served with had been killed when their helicopter was shot down by the Taliban. 30 American servicemen were killed, including 25 members of an elite Navy SEAL team I served with.?7 Afghan special operations troops also died-and our Afghan translator. It was the single largest loss of life during the war in Afghanistan. The call sign for their helicopter was “Extortion 17.”

Two days later I gathered with the families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive their remains aboard two Air Force C-17s, with 38 transfer cases covered in American or Afghan flags. On an oppressively hot and humid day, for hours President Obama and a senior US delegation stood at attention as each transfer case was removed by an honor guard with the greatest of care and reverence.?What I remember most though is the raw pain and emotion on the faces of the wives, children and parents of the men who were killed.?Theirs was the real face of grief and sacrifice in war. Their pain may ease some over the decade since their loss, but it is never gone.?Their anguish was revisited I know on August 6th this month- the 10th anniversary of their loss. And in the past few days the pain has returned yet again. These Gold Star families have wondered especially: what was it all for?

Please know that the sacrifices of your loved ones were not in vain. Much was accomplished in our 20 years in Afghanistan after 9/11.

Our servicemen and women went into Afghanistan after 9/11 to bring the fight to a brutal enemy who attacked us without provocation. We captured or killed large numbers of terrorists over the years.?We destroyed their safe havens and training camps. For 20 years, by the sacrifice of our armed services, we kept the fight over there and we kept America safe from further terrorist attacks. And our troops and foreign service and intelligence officers helped to embolden and free the Afghan people. We did so with honor, courage and commitment.

I pray for the continued well-being of the Afghan people who have suffered so much, including the 66,000 Afghan military and police who have lost their lives fighting the enemy in the past 20 years. I pray for peace and comfort for the families of our fallen and for all who have served and sacrificed. It was not in vain. I pray for the continued security of the United States and our allies and all people who yearn for freedom, peace and democracy. And I pray that each day I can find the strength and courage to “live a life worthy of their sacrifice.”