Escalation in Afghanistan raises concerns with local military families, veterans

The recent deadly events unfolding in the Afghan capital are prompting local Gold Star families and veterans to react.

Isaac Wyant, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2014 to 2018 and was stationed at Twentynine Palms, is reflecting on the United State's 20-year war.

While he was never deployed to Afghanistan, Wyant was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2015, and has friends that have served in Afghanistan.

Wyant said he believes Americans "can have disagreements" about whether U.S. forces should have remained in the Middle Eastern country or left as is currently happening.

The Marine veteran and father said the U.S. made the decision to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan, and in doing so, "should have done due diligence for that decision."

He added "when you look at the amount of weapons that have been turned over to the Taliban" and "the security threats" that are coming out of the situation in Afghanistan, "it's becoming ever presently clear that we did not do the due diligence" and that the withdrawal of U.S. forces "was a catastrophe."

While Americans wonder if the the nation's two-decade long presence in Afghanistan, along with the tragic casualties throughout the years, was in vain, Wyant said he thinks "the sacrifice was worth it."

He said "it showed men were willing to die for each other. They were willing to die for freedom. They were willing to give their lives up for something greater than themselves."

Wyant said despite "the failings" of top military generals, "you can't take that away from the guys on the ground, the veterans who will always live with that."

The Marine veteran said he hopes that the situation in Afghanistan "forces veterans to step up and lead from the front."

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