Grieving the Loss of Marines in Afghanistan

Thirteen Marines Lost, Over One Hundred Civilians Killed Beside Them

by David O. Chung

There is a special place in my heart for the US Marines. When I was in Vietnam, our unit was attached to the 1st Marine Air Wing, 12th Marine Air Group. I served beside many Marines during 1972-1973, helped pick up the pieces of the ones we lost. Pieces that were scattered by the mortars that killed them instantly.

As I think of these 13 fine young men who were put in harms way by their superiors and written off by our elected officials in Washington DC, my anger overcomes my grief and sadness. There was one Battalion Commander who spoke up and now he is gone. Relieved of duty, his career as mortally wounded as his Marines.

Lt. Col Stuart Scheller has become a bit of an activist since he was relieved of his command. He’s posting videos on social media and calling for accountability for the debacle that was the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the politicians will never be held accountable and I’ve seen it first-hand.

For years, our federal government has been promoting individuals who care more about their careers than the mission of acting on behalf of the American people. At the top levels, they form small pockets of loyalty and enforce an unwritten code that careers come before progress. In fact, they’ve changed their mission from supporting good legislation that will help our citizens, to stopping any forward movement in support of their own advancement.

So Lt. Col Scheller will be gone from the Marines in a short while. And now US troops are gone from Afghanistan. The chaos that we left behind is anyone’s guess.