Remember Their Names
-by Ed Thelander
There is no shortage of things about the Biden administration that are disappointing, but for those of us who wore the uniform of the United States in Afghanistan, the feckless and shameful pullout a year ago stands alone as the most massive case of dereliction of duty I’ve seen in my lifetime. The thirteen fatalities we incurred as a result of the botched withdrawal aren’t the blip on the radar screen this administration and its backers in Congress consider them to be. No, it is our duty to remember their names, and on the anniversary of their killing to say them:
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza; Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee; Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover; Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss; Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui; Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page; Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario; Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, and Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak.
Earlier this summer, we were fortunate to kill Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri who was allegedly being housed and protected by the Taliban. Think about that: the Taliban who sheltered Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden as they planned and carried out the attacks on the United States on 9/11 have already broken their promise not to harbor enemies of the United States. They never intended to honor any deal with the Biden administration, and now they are spitting in America’s face.
Make no mistake, there had to be an end to the war in Afghanistan for NATO and the United States. But given all that we sacrificed for more than 20 years, friends and co-combatants of mine whom we lost, hundreds of billions of dollars, and our national honor – not just as relates to the people of Afghanistan whom we returned to slavery – but to the world. The message the Biden administration sent was America does NOT stand by our friends and allies.
When one wonders why Vladimir Putin felt emboldened to invade Ukraine earlier this year or why the Peoples’ Republic of China is rattling it’s sabers over Taiwan, it is impossible not to consider the signal sent by our disastrous withdrawal in which we left not only our Afghan allies high and dry but also abandoned more than $80 billion of advanced weaponry on the battlefield for the Taliban to use against their own people and anyone who stands up to their rapacious, medieval ways in the future.
But now all we can do is demand answers. Why was our departure so poorly planned and executed? Why did we not even leave an embassy behind? What real guarantees do we have that a proven enemy of the United States will not strike us again? And for the sake of the brothers we lost in the mountains and valleys of that distant country, what have we learned to make us better warfighters? Where is the after-action report?
First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has done nothing to demand any accountability over the last year. There should be a thorough, on-going review like we saw after 9/11, but instead there are just crickets. In fact, she has publicly commended the administration for its pullout, which is consistent with the fact that she – like Biden – never supported the war. From her standpoint, men and women who served in the military are not really her people anyway, so why bother?
The only American who has faced any consequence is Stuart Scheller, a Marine lieutenant corporal who was court-martialed for criticizing his command’s handling of the retreat. That, like the fact Zawihiri was enjoying freedom and protection in the new Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, tells us everything we need to know.
America deserves better. That is why I am running to retire Chellie Pingree and replace her with an active voice that demands accountability for all of us. I have served in combat and spent my career as a US Navy SEAL; I am trained to look for solutions. This month marks a painful anniversary for many Americans. We left friends behind, and the gains for which we fought were simply traded away. They think we’ll just forget, but I will never forget, and neither should you.
Maine’s First District needs a real fighter. We need someone who will hold the powerful accountable, and not just hold their water. Responsibility is about finishing the job right, regardless of whether it’s popular or politically correct. Congress has not been responsible and is more focused on the spot lights than getting the answers the American people demand.
Please join me in sending a powerful message to Washington this November. We haven’t forgotten, and we are committed to making sure no U.S. serviceman died in vain. Getting there requires all of us to step forward and be the change that will force Congress to finally do its job.
–Ed Thelander, Republican candidate for Maine’s 1st Congressional District, is a 21-veteran of the Navy SEAL Teams and resides in Bristol, where he is an active volunteer in his community.
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