America devoted more than two decades and over $2 trillion to the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The price was measured not only in dollars, but in sacrifice. More than 2,400 brave Americans gave their lives, while many thousands returned home carrying physical and emotional wounds. Families also bore the burden, spending months and years apart from loved ones serving in one of the world’s most dangerous war zones, and then learning how to take care of those loved ones when they came home.  

As someone who fought in Operation Enduring Freedom, this topic hits home for me, especially as we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11th. Nothing prepares you for a war without clear battle lines or for an enemy that operates without rules. But my fellow soldiers and I gave everything we had to defeat the enemy. That’s why watching the way it ended was so heartbreaking.