Having served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan as a United States Army officer — probably traveling through each country more than most — I can offer a unique perspective as we approach the one-year anniversary of the military exodus from Afghanistan.

Looking back now, over this last year, several major concerns stand out for me.

First, most agree that this disastrous withdrawal has left a dark stain on the United States in the eyes of the world.  They can longer trust us, our word, and our leadership.

Yet President Joe Biden and his administration continue to point to all the "successes" of that withdrawal: 

We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history, with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety. That number is more than double what most experts thought were possible. No nation — no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history. Only the United States had the capacity and the will and the ability to do it, and we did it today.

The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery, and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals.

What he conveniently left out was the fact that the airlift would not have been necessary if the president had listened to his military advisers on how to conduct an orderly withdrawal the military way.

This was just the beginning of a whole range of military, diplomatic, and political blunders that caused untold suffering in Afghanistan, left behind numerous Americans, caused the death of many Afghanistan military advisers and fighters, and at the same time caused Biden's approval ratings to tank.

Secondly, the vast amount of blood, sweat, and tears that our servicemen and women shed in that part of the world has caused irreparable harm to them and their families. 

Many have looked back and wondered if it was all worth it.  Let me assure you, it was worth it — despite the fact that the withdrawal was a catastrophe.  Our brave men and women prevented the Taliban from training terrorists to carry out domestic attacks in the American homeland.  We all did what we had to do to preserve the peace and allow freedom to ring.

Thirdly, Afghanistan is a symptom of a far bigger problem in the United States: deception.

Deception by all accounts is rampant in the government, the mainstream media, and our universities.  When the president of the United States stands up and tells us that the evacuation of our troops and civilians was a huge success, knowing we left thousands of Americans and Afghan patriots stranded, what else is it but deception?  (I recently co-authored a book with Pulitzer Prize–nominated investigative journalist Troy Anderson, which explores this topic in great depth.)

I remember that we spent much time and money winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan tribal leaders and their people by providing food, clothing, shelter, and medical and dental care. 

We were turning the tide in helping these people believe in us and our intentions to set them free from the tyranny of the Taliban.  Those same people now despise us because we turned our backs on them.

Is it too late?

In some respects, it is, since the current administration has no plan or purpose for the future of these remarkable people and their land.

However, with the right leadership along with military and diplomatic intervention, there is a slight glimmer of a light of hope if we act swiftly.

U.S. Army chaplain (col.) David Giammona is an end-times expert, scholar, author, writer, speaker, and president of Battle Ready Ministries.  He is co-author with Troy Anderson of the bestsellers The Military Guide to Armageddon and The Military Guide to Disarming Deception.  Find out more at www.davidjgiammona.com and www.battle-ready.org.

Image: Amber Clay from Pixabay, Pixabay License, free for commercial use, no attribution required