It was our first full day of vacation and we were in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on one of my “bucket list” trips. Grand Teton and Yellowstone were on my mind. Walking down the street, I saw a sign in the window of a jewelry store honoring the 13 fallen warriors in Kabul, Afghanistan. That’s when we learned the body of Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum was being returned to his hometown that day. We then joined with thousands in this small town to welcome this fallen Marine.

Tears flooded my eyes as we watched the throng of people lining the streets as far as we could see. I actually had the opportunity to talk to a friend of the family, telling her that thousands across the nation were praying for Rylee’s kin.

While we waited (over two hours), we talked to many people who were shocked and angry about how this could happen. They questioned how our military leaders and White House could have executed such an incredibly stupid strategy resulting in 13 unnecessary deaths. Even those with no military training knew trusting the Taliban to protect our people was stupid!

Ever since the debacle in Kabul, what we have seen from those in charge has caused people of all political parties to question the insanity of the actions taken by our government. There’s not enough room in this entry to list each step not taken to protect our people and allies.

Things like abandoning Bagram Air Base; leaving billions of dollars in military equipment behind; declining the Taliban’s offer for the U.S. to keep control of the city of Kabul until our withdrawal was complete; and trusting them to provide security. These only scratch the surface of the gross incompetence of what our military troops on the ground had to deal with.

But the most disgusting thing about the entire debacle is the denial of everyone responsible for anything that went wrong. General Mark Milley and the president patted themselves on the back for a job well done. The State Department also took a couple of victory laps for their incompetence.

Propaganda Minister Jen Psaki rebuked a reporter asking about Americans being stranded, but then 24 hours later admitted there were Americans left behind. Apparently, any American who didn’t come to the airport wanted to stay in Afghanistan!

A drone strike allegedly meant to take out an ISIS-K terrorist turned out to kill an aid worker and his family. Ten innocent civilians, including children, were killed. The Pentagon covered up this tragedy for days, with General Milley calling it a “righteous” strike.

Lies, deflections, denials, and blame-shifting flew like missiles all over Washington as our leaders refused to take any responsibility for what happened. To take the news cycle off Afghanistan and those abandoned, we now focus on real problems like climate change, COVID-19, and mask mandates. Fence off the Capitol again to protect the politicians from those rabid Trump supporters who were getting ready to storm the building. Except only about 100 showed up, outnumbered by police and reporters.

Millions wonder if anyone will be held responsible for the most screwed-up military operation in history. Meanwhile, General Milley and his suck-ups are designing a new medal to put on their uniforms for the “Battle of Kabul.”

Amidst all this, Rylee McCollum’s baby was born last week — a child who will never know the love of her father. This did NOT have to happen!

Something to think about?