A Christian Response to a Defeat, by Michele McAloon

By Michele McAloon, The Catholic Thing, Aug. 31, 2021

Michele Malia McAloon has been married for almost 28 years. She is a mother, a retired US Army officer, and a canon lawyer. She resides in Wiesbaden, Germany with her husband, a 30-year Army veteran.  …

U.S. Special Forces hit the ground riding in Afghanistan in October of 2001. (U.S. Army photo)

Withdrawal or defeat? Armchair quarterbacks and history books will debate the question for decades to come. For the majority of Americans watching the debacle of Afghanistan, this question is merely a matter of national pride and not an existential question intruding into their private lives. Unfortunately, for the small minority of Americans who chose to fight, they are now forced to ask themselves if twenty years of continual combat was worth the cost to themselves, their families, and the nation.

For most Americans, the reality of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was a burden left for others to shoulder. Politicians who had no familiarity with the military, nor had sons or daughters serving in the military decided quickly, and maybe even fecklessly, upon military engagement. At the same time, there was no national appeal to America’s youth to fight and serve. From the very beginning of both wars, there was a pervasive attitude that this fight belonged to someone else. Certainly, it was not a matter of personal responsibility, nor for one’s own family members to take part.

There were no calls for victory gardens, war bonds, or even the smallest of sacrifices to acknowledge, much less contribute, to a national war effort. Instead, woke politics and shopping were the order of the day.  …

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