Well said Mr. Graham!

The botched withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan which led to the Taliban’s rapid rise to power has caused great emotion—including anger, frustration, and outrage—for many in our military community, both active duty and veterans. I‘ve heard it firsthand from the wounded veterans and their spouses we host at Samaritan's Purse Operation Heal Our Patriots in Alaska. They wonder if their sacrifices, the loss of their fellow soldiers, and the wounds they still carry in their bodies were worth it.
I remind them that 20 years ago, the United States gave the Afghan people a taste of freedom they had never experienced before. Women and girls were able to go to school and get an education. Women were also able to hold jobs in the workplace. Men didn’t have to live in fear of the Islamic Mullahs. For two decades, Afghan children were born and raised with hope for the future of their country and with optimism that America would stand behind them and they would remain free. I want every active duty soldier and veteran who served there to remember—your service was not in vain. It made a difference in their lives.
But that’s not all. For 20 years, your service helped protect the United States of America from attacks by radical Islamic terrorists that would have risen up and reached out from Afghanistan to our shores. Your service kept terrorism around the world in check. Every American thanks you—and I would bet that if they had a vote, millions of Afghans would thank you as well. We are proud of you and thank God for you—and we pray that God will bless you and your family for the sacrifices you made for all of us.