It is has been difficult week to watch and hear the news about our withdrawal from Afghanistan. There are many comparisons being drawn to this and the fall of Saigon. I lived on Judah Street in San Francisco during the Vietnam War. I was a quarter of a mile from SF State, the hotbed of anti-war protesters. It certainly wasn’t our country’s finest hour. And the abrupt exit from Vietnam and the fall of Saigon was a fiasco of major proportions. You would have hoped that we learned something from that.
As we wait for the politicians and the military commanders to begin sorting this out and provide us with some accountability, let’s not forget the sacrifices made by our soldiers, marines, sailors, and airman all of whom volunteered to go into harm’s way to protect us here at home. In the coming weeks and months, many of us will begin to question the leadership that kept us there for 20 years only to watch it crumble in a week. We are right to ask hard questions about the blood and treasure that was spent and to demand better accountability in the future. History will be a harsh judge.
General James H. Doolittle said, “There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” Let’s hope we never forget that, we might need them again very soon.
Mike
Mike Mickels is President of CochranMickels Retirement Specialists and an avid sporting clay competitor. CochranMickels Retirement Specialists provides personalized planning and investment services to individuals approaching and in retirement. They also provide retirement and benefits training to Federal employees. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc, a Registered Investment Advisor. CochranMickels and Cambridge are not affiliated.