The moment is still seared into my memory and remains a defining point of my professional life.
It was late on Aug. 24, 2021. I had just returned from flying another evacuation mission during the Afghanistan withdrawal when I caught a glimpse of a television screen. A Taliban spokesman was speaking.
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At the time, we were already racing against the clock to meet an arbitrary Aug. 31 deadline for evacuating thousands of people. On the ground, we all understood the reality of the situation. It would be impossible to get everyone out safely under that time constraint, which is why negotiations about extending the timeline were ongoing.
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Then the Taliban delivered its ultimatum: America would be gone by Aug. 31.
I remember the anger that arose in me. We were already pushing aircraft and crews to their limits. Lives were on the line. And now a terrorist organization was attempting to dictate the terms of the United States.
I expected to see our president immediately stand before the nation and make it unmistakably clear that America does not take orders from terrorists. Instead, former President Joe Biden went on television and accepted the Taliban’s request. Aug. 31 was the date.
That moment sent a clear message to me, to my troops, and to all Americans. It told us two things. First, our commander in chief did not have our backs. Second, the situation was about to get much worse.
Just two days later, it did.
On Aug. 26, an ISIS suicide bomber detonated an explosive at Abbey Gate. Thirteen American service members were senselessly killed, and dozens more were wounded. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten, but their deaths could have been prevented were it not for a series of miscalculations and downright negligence on the part of the Biden administration.
On Aug. 31, I ultimately commanded the final operation and flew the last aircraft out of Kabul, officially ending America’s longest war after seventeen days of unimaginable chaos. In this disastrous withdrawal, I witnessed the Biden administration’s dramatic leadership failures firsthand. It was a moment that projected American weakness on the world stage and emboldened our adversaries.
These failures bring us to today. The world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism, which chants “death to America,” was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon before we stepped in. Rival powers like China and Russia are growing more aggressive in a relentless pursuit to undermine American interests. And at home, years of feckless immigration and border enforcement left us vulnerable as fentanyl, criminals, and terrorists poured into our country.
These issues, and more, require real leadership and experience at the federal level. The decisions being made now will shape the landscape of our country and how our enemies perceive us for years to come.
Thankfully, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, America is back on the offensive, but we can’t afford to lose momentum in the midterm elections. We need strong, principled candidates who can and will win in November because the stakes are too high.
The threat we face from the political Left returning us to a posture of appeasement keeps me up at night, and it should keep you up, too. Achieving peace through strength requires elected leaders in Congress who understand military might, what it takes to build it, what it takes to maintain it, and what it takes to responsibly use it.
A recent Gallup poll backs this up. It found that Americans do, in fact, value military experience more than other backgrounds when choosing a candidate because veterans are more likely to have strong leadership qualities, put the country’s interests above their own, work with people from all different backgrounds, and understand the complexity of global security issues.
These are the characteristics I will bring to Congress.
For 22 years, I served as an Air Force pilot. My career started at the Air Force Academy and took me to the cockpit of C-17 flying missions across the world, to a cubicle in the depths of the Pentagon working on Air Force budgets and national security policy, and back home to South Carolina to command a C-17 squadron, and ultimately lead the Air Force’s only C-17 special operations unit.
I never planned to run for Congress. But after experiencing the disastrous withdrawal, I knew I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. As a husband, father, and veteran, I see clearly that there is a battle raging for the soul of our country. This may not be combat, but the stakes are just as high.
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America does not need more career politicians with empty promises and no results. America needs leaders who understand policy and the importance of sacrifice, accountability, and duty.
Politicians talk. Leaders act. I’m acting, and Congress is my next mission.
Alex Pelbath is a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col., and House candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
