No

by Dean Ralph

Created on: December 10, 2010

Should the US pull troops out of Afghanistan? Yes, once the job that they were sent there do to has been completed and not a day sooner. All these people that say we are losing face in the window of World Opinion, are the same ones that say we need to pull out of Afghanistan. They say it isn't worth the lives of American Soldiers. It isn't worth the money we spend. It is another Viet Nam and it is unwinnable. Here is why they are wrong on all counts.

If we pull out of Afghanistan now, before a stable local Government has been securely established, WE, the American People, will be the ones responsible for the next terrorist attack on innocent civilians in a subway, on an airplane or in the school house. Any strategist will tell you that the best defense is a good offense. As long as we are keeping the Taliban and Al Queada  fighters occupied on their turf, they don't have time to attack us on ours. Combine that with the information we gather from locals as well as captured fighters. Together, those two things have kept any major attacks from happening since 9-11. Sure there have been attacks since 9-11, but there have been many more plots uncovered before they could be set into motion then there would have been.

The lives of the troops isn't worth the fight? What people are failing to understand is that our troops are doing considerably more than just fighting a war. They are building a Nation. They are giving the people of Afghanistan better roads, schools and hospitals. They are giving them cleaner drinking water. Teaching them better agricultural techniques. The non-combat work that the United States Military is doing over in Afghanistan is not only improving the quality of life but most certainly saving the lives of many Afghans.

For people to say that it isn't worth the money we are spending, is just selfish and narrow minded. By fighting this war we are investing in the future for our children and Grandchildren. We are getting a lot for our money. We are building a ally in the region. More important than what we are getting for our money is what we are taking away. We are taking away training grounds for terrorists. We are taking away money from the terrorists. They will no longer have control over the people and what the people have. We are taking a huge bite out of the drug trade by destroying, or at least regulating the opium fields.  

The final arguments that it is another Viet Nam and it is unwinnable will be the most difficult for people to understand. Viet Nam was not lost by the United States Military. Viet Nam was lost by the United States Congress and the restrictions they put on our Military. They tried to fight the war from a desk in Washington D.C. In order for the war in Afghanistan to be won, it must be fought from Afghanistan, not Washington DC.. Politicians must trust the Military to know the best way to fight. The Commanders on the ground know what they need to win the war. The soldiers are capable of winning as long as they aren't hogtied by Congress. It is a guarantee that the last thing any of our fighting men and women want is to come home in a bag. The second thing on that list is to come home missing a body part. the third thing on that list, (contrary to what anti war protesters would have the rest of the world believe), To have the deaths of innocent civilians on their conscience for the rest of their lives

The bottom line is this. The war in Afghanistan is the best of all available options. The war in Afghanistan can be won and won with honor and dignity. The war in Afghanistan will not last forever, but we must not surrender. We must not accept defeat, and we must never give up.

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