Twenty-two years have passed since the attack that changed the course of history and not a day has gone by that I have not thought about 9/11.
In remembering that Tuesday in September, it is hard not to reflect on all that followed.
Two years removed from the disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces, I think of the flag officers who — year after year, for close to two decades — went before Congress, the American people and their troops, to say time and time again that we were "making progress" and that we needed just a little more time, additional resources or increased funding to capitalize on our hard-earned gains and those of the Afghan people.
These are the same leaders who had 20 years to prepare for an eventual withdrawal. We saw their best efforts play out in real time in August 2021.
