Afghanistan was not all for nothing, says the army veterinarian

To my fellow veterans who have served valiantly in Afghanistan for the past two decades, and to all the Golden Star families whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice, my message to you can be summed up in three short words: We have done good.

I know you may not feel that way right now.

Ten years ago, when I left my backpack with an IED during my third tour of Afghanistan and lost parts of my arms and legs, I felt angry, hurt, depressed and hopeless, many of the emotions we are experiencing right now. . I’ve been there. I feel your pain. Since my injury, I have spent most of my second chance at life trying to live life to the fullest, helping other veterans overcome a number of mental challenges and physical obstacles while building a close-knit veteran community.

So my message is simple: Afghanistan was not for nothing. It was because of us, the ones we served, that some good things actually happened.

We did well.

We built and dug wells to provide fresh drinking water to the Afghan people.

We built schools so that more of the population had access to education, including women and children.

We offer modernized western medicine and medical care in the region.

We built hospitals.

We also helped with the local economy and trade by hiring Afghans to build infrastructure.

All of these are tools that we hope the population can use even after they leave.

We did well.

Could logistics withdrawal have been better managed? Of couse. We probably should have left Afghanistan a long time ago. But don’t let recent events erase all the positives we did to improve the country. It wasn’t all in vain, and as much as it may be, I hope there is some comfort.

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Story produced by Sara Kugel.