Gen. Martin: Afghanistan war veterans are hurting and taking their own lives at high rates

Question: what do Pearl Harbor, World War II, 9/11, and the Afghanistan War all have in common?

Answer: courageous, dedicated U.S. troops and veterans, who deserve our respect and support

Pearl Harbor and WWII

On Dec. 7, 1941 Imperial Japan attacked U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and damaging the U.S. Pacific Fleet in a preemptive strike to prevent American engagement in their east Asian military operations, which they considered their rightful sphere of influence, but which the U.S. refused to accept.

This surprise attack achieved Japan’s tactical and operational aims, but had the unintended effect of inspiring the U.S. to declare war on Japan, then rally as a nation and marshal all of its considerable might — diplomatic, economic, informational, political, technological, human and military.

The U.S. created the most powerful force the world had ever seen, which along with strong, determined allies, ultimately crushed Japan (and Germany) and destroyed most of their war-making capacity and will to fight, in less than four years of fierce combat, by land, sea and air.

More than 16 Million Americans served in the U.S. military during WWII with about one-quarter serving in the Pacific theater of operations against Japan. My Dad was there, a sailor in the Navy.

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America also deployed two nuclear weapons in the fight against Japan (the first and only nuclear weapons used in armed conflict), and held a formal surrender ceremony aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, with General of the Army Douglas MacArthur presiding over and accepting the Japanese surrender.

My Dad and his wartime buddies loved President Harry Truman for his decision to drop "the bomb."

To a man, they believed that Truman’s decision saved their lives, which may well have been lost in what would have been a horrific invasion of the Japanese homeland, against millions of determined defenders.

America went on to occupy and rebuild Japan (and Germany), helping to transform these once existential enemies into two of our most powerful and loyal allies — based on cooperative democratic political systems and free-market capitalist economies.

America’s strategic commitment and patience has — by design — provided unparalleled peace and prosperity for the U.S. and its allies for the past 80 years.

Although Japan is an advanced, loyal ally, we still have more than 53,000 U.S. troops stationed there, primarily as a forward-deployed strategic defense against a rising and troublesome China. This is a wise strategic investment — diplomatically, economically, informationally and militarily — that bolsters U.S. military and economic security at a very low cost-to-benefit ratio.

9/11 and Afghanistan

Twenty years ago, on Sept. 11 2001, 60 years after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. suffered another surprise attack on its soil, this time by Al Qaeda terrorists. A total of 2,997 people were killed in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.

The U.S. quickly confirmed the identity of the attackers and from whence they had planned and launched their attacks — the country of Afghanistan. Our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies invoked Article 5 of the treaty and joined forces to defend the U.S., the first time in NATO history.

An ultimatum was issued to the Taliban government of Afghanistan to hand over the Al Qaeda terrorists for what they had done. The Taliban refused, which led to a brilliant US-led military campaign to drive the Taliban from power and capture/kill the Al Qaeda terrorists.

The campaign skillfully combined a small U.S. ground force of primarily Special Forces, combined with devastating U.S. airpower and indigenous Afghan anti-Taliban forces from the Northern Alliance. The results were decisive, with little loss of American life.

In short order the Taliban was defeated and Al Qaeda was routed — killed, captured or fleeing to safe havens across the border into Pakistan.

What began as a rapid, decisive operational and tactical military victory soon ran into the reality that is Afghanistan.

The harsh, frustrating, complex realities of fractious politics, endemic corruption, a dysfunctional economy, severe poverty and illiteracy, thriving drug trade and brutal social realities stymied U.S. efforts to help build a peaceful, self-sustaining country that could defend itself, provide for its people and keep the Taliban and terrorists out.

As America soon learned, Afghanistan is a "country" in name only, and has little concept of itself as a cohesive, self-sustaining nation-state; one that is able to govern and defend itself, and effectively manage its internal affairs.

As America and NATO began to bring their considerable elements of national power to bear — diplomatic, informational, military, economic — our elected political leadership suddenly shifted attention away from Afghanistan and invaded Iraq in March 2003, less than two years after invading Afghanistan, and the mission far from accomplished.

This ill-conceived decision diverted critical resources and bandwidth to a different theater of war — Iraq — that had nothing to do with 9/11.

With this strategic misstep in 2003, the U.S. and its allies never recovered, despite committing more than 100,000 troops for years at a time in Afghanistan, and spending more than $2 trillion. My two sons were there, soldiers serving at the pointy tip of the spear.

In September 2021, after 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies withdrew, and the Taliban swept back into power in mere days, retaking the country that they had been driven out of 20 years earlier by U.S. forces.

The Contrast

The outcome could not be more starkly different than how our war with Japan ended in 1945. There, America committed massive quantities of national power — for decades — to rebuild Japan (and Germany) as staunch, loyal allies. And this investment has paid off for us, bigtime.

The way we fought the two wars was also starkly different. In WWII America fought an "all-out/total war" against powerful existential enemies (Japan and Germany), who had the capabilities and the will to destroy us and transform the existing world order into one that would seriously impede and undermine American and our allies’ interests. American survival, as we understood it, was at risk.

In Afghanistan (and Iraq), we fought a "limited war," with strict "Rules of Engagement" (ROE), which governed when U.S. forces were authorized to pull the trigger and kill.

These ROEs hamstrung operational capabilities, and Al Qaeda and the Taliban took strong advantage of these constraints to advance their own goals.

In short, there could not be larger contrast in the way the U.S. leveraged its forces between WWII and Afghanistan (as well as Iraq.)

And we are still committed today, with more than 50,000 U.S. troops still stationed in Japan (though mostly for a new mission, focused largely on China), and 38,000 in Germany (for forward basing, stability operations, and deterring Russia.) In Afghanistan, we pulled our military out completely.

Our military and veterans were heroic in both wars.

One thing that is not different, however, is the courage, commitment and dedication of our American troops in both wars. Our 775,000 Afghanistan War veterans (and more than one million Iraq War veterans) are every bit as patriotic and heroic as our WWII veterans. They put their lives on the line every day and performed superbly every mission our nation gave them.

Our Afghan (and Iraq) War veterans have earned and deserve the same respect that our WWII veterans so rightly received.

The lack of a winning strategic concept and failure of the Afghan government and military to defend their own country, should in no way detract from the heroism of our troops, who performed their duty valiantly in a tough, complex and deadly war.

Our veteran's need our help

More than 22 veterans a day die from suicide and two serving military service members per day die by their own hands. These are higher than the national civilian rates. And since 9-11, combat fatalities are less than 8,000, while more than 30,000 veterans and service members have taken their own lives.

Mental illness is a leading factor in suicide, and stigma is the biggest barrier to getting help and hope.

As the last American soldier stepped aboard a C-17 cargo plane in Kabul in September, and became the last soldier to leave Afghanistan, my inbox was filling up with messages of despair from Afghan war veterans. They were witnessing a disastrous end to the war for which they put their lives on the line, and many are now feeling bereft, demoralized, and desperate.

Here’s a sample of what they wrote:

“I feel hurt, anger, resentment, anguish, rage, disbelief, powerlessness. My heart hurts.”

“I’m devastated, heartbroken, and so sad. Haven’t left my apartment for a week.”

“I’m in a very dark place.”

These are the voices of some of our very best Americans who fought to defeat our enemies and build a better Afghanistan. They lost friends in battle and saw their buddies maimed.

While most troops are justifiably proud of what they did at the tactical, local level, they’ve seen their efforts go up in smoke. They’re angry, sad, hurting and confused, and I fear the mental health of some of them will unravel so unrelentingly they’ll take their own lives.

The risk of suicide is rising among veterans. A Rand Corporation report found between 2005 and '19, the suicide rate has risen faster among veterans than it has for nonveteran adults. It now stands at about double the rate of the civilian population.

These Afghan war veterans are revealing themselves to me because they know I can identify.

In 2003, I helped lead U.S. forces into Iraq. The rage and disgust I felt toward senior policy officials in the early days of the Iraq War are echoed in what Afghan vets are telling me today.

In Iraq, my comrades and I were sickened that misguided policies helped fuel the insurgency that crippled our war aims and led to the injury or death of thousands of our troops. I saw the consequences of tragic policy decisions up close on the battlefield.

In my case, those stressors combined with a genetic predisposition for bipolar disorder that expressed itself on and off the battlefield. By 2014, as I served as the president of the National Defense University, my bipolar disorder became acute, ended my career, and pushed me into a battle for my life.

I was tortured by vivid images of my own violent death, what psychiatrists call “passive suicidal ideations.”

What started years earlier in Iraq has never left me.

How many Afghan veterans are struggling with a mental health crisis of their own — or soon will?

I count myself lucky to be alive. I had a commander who ordered me to get a psychiatric evaluation, a wife and family who stuck with me, and a friend who helped get me into a Veterans Administration hospital, which provided excellent care.

Among the biggest factors in mental health disorders are depression, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, survivors’ guilt and bipolar disorder. And when combined with trauma in relationships, legal issues, and financial problems, the risk goes up.

Bottom line: Reach out and contact a veteran. Help them the way I was helped. Ask how they’re doing. Let them vent or cry, or both. And listen. If they display despair, signs of mental illness or suicidal thoughts, encourage them to get medical help immediately, and help them do so. Then follow up.

And for Afghan vets, check on yourself and your buddies, listen and observe. Realize that it’s OK to not be OK. Recognizing and admitting a problem is a sign of strength, not weakness. And if you or your buddy is not doing well, go get medical help — immediately, as you would for a heart attack.

Given the insidious interrelationship between mental health and suicide, it could very well be a matter of life and death, this time off the battlefield.

Gregg Martin is a combat veteran, bipolar survivor, and retired two-star Army general. He is a former president of the National Defense University and a graduate of West Point and MIT. He lives with his wife in Cocoa Beach and is wring a book, “Battling Bipolar – my fight for mental wellness.” Visit www.generalgreggmartin.com

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Government or FLORIDA TODAY