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A retired Army general and former commander of U.S. Central Command<\/a> and U.S. Special Operations Command, Votel was one of the first troops on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001 as commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI certainly wish this had ended differently,\u201d Votel told Military Times recently, adding about Biden\u2019s decision to withdrawal: \u201cI lack insight into everything that is taking place \u2014 so I don\u2019t want to make judgements about things I don\u2019t know about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An ideal ending, said Votel, \u201cwould have been compelling the Taliban to enter into serious discussions with the Government of Afghanistan over political reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaving Afghanistan \u201cis a very difficult decision,\u201d said Votel, who oversaw various levels of operations there since shortly after the invasion \u2014 first as the 75th Ranger Regiment Commander, then as commander of Joint Special Operations Command, SOCOM and then at CENTCOM, where he oversaw the war efforts there from March 2016 to March 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was always in favor of a conditions-based approach in Afghanistan \u2014 but those conditions cannot be achieved solely by military force. We were unfortunately never able to get the Taliban, and the Afghan government to an extent, to constructively and seriously enter into a diplomatic process. I believe our withdrawal will certainly have an impact on the Afghan people \u2014 they deserve an opportunity for peace and stability and I fear that they may not see it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Votel said that he is \u201chopeful that our military leaders and policy makers are looking at all options to address our interests in this area in accordance with the president\u2019s apparent decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for whether Afghan forces will be able to defend themselves against the Taliban and elements of the Islamic State faction in Afghanistan, he thinks \u201cthe Afghan forces will have the ability to withstand for a period of time. Some will perform better than others \u2014 Afghan SOF is very capable and some of the ANA Corps are better than others. It all comes down to leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should some element of U.S. forces remain at Bagram?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBagram or wherever,\u201d he said. \u201cI would agree a platform in Afghanistan would seem helpful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having spent so much of his military career focused on Afghanistan, Votel has concern about the future of that nation and its people, especially those, like interpreters, who risked their lives to help America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think one thing we should agree upon with respect to Afghanistan is to honor our commitment made under the Special Immigrant Visa programs that have been put in place and long supported by Congress,\u201d said Votel. \u201cI think this is a moral imperative for us. Those (and their immediate family members) who served our Government or military forces deserve the opportunity for this VISA to come to the United States. They have absorbed a level of risk which we will be unable to mitigate after our departure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not a new concept, said Votel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have done this in the past and it has been successful,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up in Saint Paul [Minnesota], where our nation absorbed a large number of Hmongs. They too were very vulnerable after the Vietnam War ended and have assimilated quite well into our community. This should be a national priority now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 2,400 U.S. troops died supporting efforts in Afghanistan, something not lost on Votel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c We must be very careful to ensure that these sacrifices are not viewed as being made in vain,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carlos del Castillo<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 61. Tampa, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n A business executive in Tampa, del Castillo became a Gold Star father on June 25, 2011, when his son, Lt. Dimitri del Castillo, an Army Ranger, died in Watahpur district, Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Carlos del Castillo said that the announcement that Biden is bringing troops home from Afghanistan raises a lot of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know, I am the last person that would want to see another soldier lost,\u201d he said. \u201cI have many friends in the military and I know they have endured much. I have more questions than comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs this a strategic decision or a political one?\u201d he asked. \u201cIt may feel like a good decision today but will that still be the feeling five or 10 years from now? What do we gain by staying? Because in reality, we are so hog tied, we aren\u2019t in it to win it? It\u2019s either a war that we should win flat out or a social engagement dictated by people who want to play nice with people that want to end our way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that raises another question, said del Castillo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo will we have to return?\u201d he asked. \u201cShould we even consider ever returning? How costly would reengagement be for us in terms of lives and treasure? Do ISIS and the Taliban also go home now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI realize we have had a tough slog over 20 years,\u201d del Castillo said. \u201cAt least military families have. I wish for peace just like all U.S. citizens. I wonder if this action truly brings peace? And if so for whom? We know it won\u2019t bring peace to the Afghan people under Taliban rule. I am no bleeding heart. But I do remember my son told me he felt sorry for the locals that just wanted to live in peace without having us or the Taliban around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike most Americans, del Castillo doesn\u2019t have the luxury of ignoring Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will go about our lives in our country as if all is well. But it is a hard pill to swallow, knowing what lies ahead for the people of that country,\u201d he said. \u201cThis hits home as you would expect. I think of my son every day. I would give everything I own for five minutes with my son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Neil<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 53. St. Petersburgh, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neil is a retired Army master sergeant who was one of the first troops on the ground in Afghanistan after 9\/11<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe spend too much time asking what went wrong in Afghanistan instead of reflecting what went right,\u201d he said. \u201cSmall teams, specially trained and regionally aligned who focused on by, with, and through. Captains and sergeants focused on making local solutions happen and the weight of the U.S. military supported their efforts. In the beginning we were successful as we freed the oppressed and together we came down from the mountains and attacked a common enemy who were in mechanized formations. “<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now a partner in the American Freedom Distillery, makers of Horse Soldier Bourbon, Neil said \u201cit seems like things are now switched 20 years later. All the king\u2019s horses and all the king\u2019s men can\u2019t put Afghanistan back together again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back, Neil said one lesson of the war is \u201cfight the war you are in and not the war you want. How could such a small interagency multinational team defeat a standing army as well as their frantically motivated cohorts in such a small amount of time with limited resources? It is an open question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s ok to come home,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes America has a hard time leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During another deployment at what would become the halfway mark of the U.S. military\u2019s involvement in Afghanistan in 2011, Neil said he was astonished by the changes he observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI returned to Afghanistan exactly 10 years later in 2011,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the height of the surge. The attitude of the population, the investment in blood and treasure, the lack of real understanding of Afghan culture was astonishing. Some of this country\u2019s brightest at the time created a simple set of programs such as the Village Stability Operations which were having effects. Today it is all gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a son now in uniform, Neil said he hopes the military is ready for the next 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy son loves serving his country today as much as I had,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope the American population admired his service as much as they did for us. And I hope he and the rest of our military is prepared for the next 20 years to fight and most importantly win. I\u2019m not sure if we know what winning really looks like anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the first troops to fight the Taliban, Neil said that the Taliban and its cultural support cannot be ignored moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe people of Afghanistan are both beautiful and simple,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to live a life like any other family anywhere in the world. They are brave and loyal to a fault at times. It is their solution for themselves that will ultimately win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou cannot have Afghanistan without the Taliban. It is like taking the Southern Baptist out of a small southern town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Mann<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 52. Riverview, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n A retired Army Green Beret lieutenant colonel who served three tours in Afghanistan, Mann was one of the architects and implementers of the Village Stability Program, which focused on mobilizing local Afghans to fight back against Taliban insurgents<\/a> through community engagement and capacity building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have mixed feelings about the departure from Afghanistan,\u201d said Mann. \u201cOn one hand, I glad we\u2019re leaving because we\u2019ve become an \u2018occupier\u2019 in the eyes of many Afghans because of failed U.S. policies and strategies by senior leaders who never took the time to really understand the land known as the \u2018Graveyard of Empires.\u2019 On the other hand, I\u2019m saddened by the departure because I lost a lot of friends over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mann, who has written a play \u2014 Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret<\/a> \u2014 based on his experiences in Afghanistan, said there were positive moments during his time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI also know that there was good work done there as well, mostly at local levels by warriors, diplomats, and development experts whose names we\u2019ll forget over time,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, I believe there were periods of time during the long war that we were on the right track of working with local Afghans to stand up on their own and to build capacity in that country over a long-term Foreign Internal Defense mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that effort in Afghanistan went off the rails, said Mann, so packing up and leaving is the right move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUntil we gain the collective patience for that kind of work, similar to what we\u2019ve done in Colombia, leaving is bittersweet, but necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for Mann, it\u2019s not just an academic discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has a son who followed his footsteps and is a platoon leader in the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI fully understand that my son will deploy into harm\u2019s way,\u201d said Mann. \u201cBut I make the assumption on good faith that he will deploy in missions that are well-defined, and strategically relevant to the nation. Afghanistan in its current form could not be further away from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat said, I feel good that we won\u2019t deploy him (or any other U.S. warriors) into a mission that is ill-defined and only focused on the short-sighted whims of politicians who are nowhere deep enough on the Afghan problem set.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lori Larsen<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 44. Tampa, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larsen, who served in the Army for eight years,<\/a> leaving as a captain, was an intelligence officer serving as an intel liaison in Afghanistan between conventional and SOF forces. She was deployed there in 2004 and 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI remember fondly my time in Afghanistan,\u201d said Larsen, who now serves as the chief strategy officer for Celestar, a Tampa-based contracting firm. \u201cIf you remember, 2004 to 2005 was the year when they held the first Afghanistan elections. So I think it was probably what I\u2019ll call the most peaceful time over the last 20 years. I think it was a time of anticipation and, and excitement because it was an opportunity to really move Afghanistan in a positive direction. I left there with an admiration and appreciation for the people of Afghanistan, all the people that I met were unbelievable, and just good-hearted people who deserve some peace and stability after generations of war and instability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back, Larsen said that while she was in Afghanistan, she could not have imagined that nearly 16 years later, U.S. troops would still be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo way,\u201d she said. \u201cAgain, when I was there, it was sort of a very positive time of positive change. I knew it wasn\u2019t going to be over within the next year or two years, but certainly I never imagined that it would be another 15 years and we\u2019d still be in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larsen said one mistake the U.S. made was \u201ctrying to perhaps set up a government, like we have here in the United States. That may not have been appropriate for the culture of the people of Afghanistan. And I think there\u2019s also too many people within Afghanistan that have different ideas of what they wanted their future to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last two decades were not all about mistakes, Larsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are good things that came out of our time in Afghanistan,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we were able to progress. I say we, but: There was some progress made in terms of freedoms for women and young girls able to go to school and perhaps some, some improvements in availability of health care, and that sort of stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do think that there were some good steps made,\u201d she said. \u201cOur withdrawal marks the end of the United States\u2019 longest war. And there\u2019s certainly a lot of fatigue on the part of our service members and their families and also the American people. So I, I think the time is right. This provides an opportunity for the United States to invest time, energy and resources and some potentially more imminent threats to our national security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n China and Russia, she said, are \u201cmore pressing threats to our national security than what\u2019s happening in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The outcome of the withdrawal, she said, \u201cremains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent Cost of War Report states that the Afghanistan conflict cost more than $2 trillion, and more than 240,000 lives, including about 2,400 U.S. troop deaths and another 20,000 injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan worth it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you ask somebody who\u2019s lost a loved one, they will say it was not worth it,\u201d said Larsen. \u201cI think it remains to be seen what becomes of Afghanistan. Only then will we be able to reflect back and determine whether it was worth the sacrifices and the money spent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ty Edwards<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 51. Tampa Palms, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Afghanistan.Dimitri.jpg.jpg\")
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