As a Fayetteville native and local teacher, I would argue that Fayetteville is one of the most patriotic cities in North Carolina. With Fort Bragg down the road and Camp Lejeune a couple of hours east, our city is extremely proud of our local heroes who put their lives on the line to defend democracy and our country worldwide.
With that pride, however, also comes loss whenever members of our armed services are put in harm’s way. When a member of our military is wounded or killed, our entire town feels the weight of that grief. Every day I encounter someone who served in the armed services, currently serves or is related to someone in active duty. As you might expect, the death of 13 service members caused by President Joe Biden’s crisis in Afghanistan has put a somber blanket over many of us here in Fayetteville.
For months, President Biden promised us that the withdrawal from Afghanistan would be “secure and orderly” and swore that no American would be left behind. Now we know those were lies.
Biden’s botched withdrawal cost the lives of 13 service members and as many as 170 Afghan civilians. These are the very real and devastating consequences for the way this withdrawal was handled by the Biden administration. U.S. soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and our allied forces sacrificed so much for 20 years and deserved better than a poorly planned withdrawal with an arbitrary deadline.
While thousands of Afghan families, service members, and Americans were able to evacuate from Afghanistan thanks to our courageous troops, Biden left hundreds of Americans behind. Since Biden’s failed withdrawal, Americans have been blocked from the evacuation airport. His administration even admitted that they have no idea how many Americans still remain in Afghanistan. Biden allowed the Taliban to dictate the terms of our withdrawal and now the Taliban is in control of an enormous amount of advanced U.S. military equipment.
What makes me the angriest, however, is that Biden genuinely thinks he did a good job. He’s claimed that the chaos in Afghanistan was always “priced into” his decision and is calling his disastrous withdrawal an “extraordinary success.” Does he consider the death of 13 service members and hundreds of stranded Americans a success? His audacity to call this disaster successful is an insult to both U.S. service members and Americans still trapped in Afghanistan.
As my city of Fayetteville mourns the loss of Johanny, Nicole, Darin, Hunter, Daegan, Humberto, David, Jared, Rylee, Dylan, Kareem, Maxton, and Ryan, Joe Biden continues to lie to Americans. The choice was not a chaotic exit or forever war, yet that’s what Biden keeps peddling.
Biden’s failed Afghanistan withdrawal makes clear what we already knew: he is incapable of serving as Commander in Chief, and the U.S. and the world are less safe as a result. That’s why I unequivocally agree with the calls for Biden’s resignation. He has created a safe haven for terrorists in Afghanistan and abandoned his fellow Americans. His botched withdrawal follows a series of other crises Biden has overseen including a porous border, rising prices, and crime in our streets.
This is all Biden’s fault and I will never forgive him for it.
Susan Mills is a teacher and vice chair of the North Carolina Republican Party
