The longest war...really?

Afghanistan--the war that shouldn't have.

United States involvement began October 7, 2001 and active duty troops remained until August 30, 2021 so 19 years, 10 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, too long.

Should we have been there?  Not for the reasons we as a nation were given from the administration at the time via our own media.

Should we have stayed out?  Maybe not, but did the regular Afghan people ask us to save them?  I don't know.

What can I say about it?  At best the Taliban are not very nice, and the few friends I have that understand what it is like there say they are not sticking to the teachings as they know them.

Was our retreat done well?  No, it was F.U.B.A.R.--this is a military term I picked up from my Special Forces father who served in Vietnam.

Sobering numbers Via the Associated Press

American service members killed in Afghanistan through April: 2,448.

U.S. contractors: 3,846.

Afghan national military and police: 66,000.

Other allied service members, including from other NATO member states: 1,144.

Afghan civilians: 47,245.

Taliban and other opposition fighters: 51,191.

Aid workers: 444.

Journalists: 72.

 

Now we are out of our longest armed conflict...not so fast!

People seem to forget Korea exists.  You know that place where all the really cool electronics and girl bands come from?  Remember they have that disowned Northern half too, you know the one with ballistic missiles that could reach California and nuclear payloads for those missiles and the leader that only former President Trump has spoken to directly?  Sounding familiar yet?

Well it turns out we entered the conflict between South Korea and North Korea on June 25, 1950 and it has never officially ended!  We still have troops watching "no man's land."  We are still actively prepared for shots to begin firing again.  We are still on alert for any shenanigans from the other side just as they are from us.  The hot war ended with an armistice signed on July 27, 1953, however there has never been an official declaration of peace between the two Koreas.

So we have been (as of this posting) at war with North Korea for 71 years, 2 months, 11 days

Now we don't have the same kind of breakdown for Korea as we do for Afghanistan but here is what I could find from Defense Casualty Analysis System

American deaths    26,073

Captured & declared dead    2,849

Total hostile deaths    33,739

Missing & presumed dead    8

Other deaths    2,827

Total non-hostile deaths (civilians)    2,835

The hot war lasted 3 years, 1 month, 3 days, and remember we almost nuked North Korea. Source

Now I am not trying to belittle the lives, limbs, and minds, lost in Afghanistan but don't let your learning come from "If it bleeds it leads" mainstream media.

Oh and Vietnam was from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975 or 19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day

 Vietnamese death toll: 966,000–3,010,000 Combatants and civilian

 U.S. & Allies death toll: 282,000 From

These numbers do not account for all the disabled of mind and body on all sides from any conflict listed.

-Maura