Afghanistan War Commission amplifies veterans' voices ahead of final report

Hello and welcome to Weapons and Warfare, a show made for people who want to know more

about our national defense. Our goal is to help you have an informed conversation about what's

happening with America's military. For Straight Arrow News, I'm your host, Ryan Robertson

and we start this week with a look back at America's war in Afghanistan. In 2021

Congress tasked a bipartisan commission with documenting the stories of warriors who served in America's longest-running war

While the commission's full report will not be released until next year

we are hearing from some of those entrusted to do the job. And that's the subject of this week's debrief

38 days. That's all the time that stood between the horrific events of September 11, 2001

and the first Americans setting foot in Afghanistan on October 19th 7 days later the last American military contingent would leave

It is America's longest war. And now, veterans from the United States' 20-year involvement in

Afghanistan are telling the commission reviewing the decisions that shaped the war it was indeed

hell, but also confounding, demoralizing, even humiliating for them. One thing that's particularly important to us is to tell a human story of the war

We know that the media has covered the issues and conflicts of Afghanistan extensively

but oftentimes the stories of the individuals who served on the ground get lost

The report will yze key strategic, diplomatic, military and operational decisions made between June 2001 and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021

I think Afghanistan like any war is full of coming stories when you get down to the very individual level And those are as Bob said those are gut Those are very personal things According to numbers from the AMARC Foundation more than 832 Americans served

in Afghanistan throughout Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom's Sentinel. Nearly 21,000 were wounded while 2,456 made the ultimate sacrifice. One of the main goals of the commission

is to take a close look at the strategic, diplomatic, and operational choices made by

the U.S. during the war, as well as gather lessons learned and offer recommendations for the future

Our work is not just about what the U.S. did in Afghanistan, but what the U.S. should be doing

in any country where it deems it has a national security interest

To date, the commission conducted more than 160 interviews with cabinet-level officials

military commanders diplomats Afghan and Pakistani leaders and others This isn just us talking to Americans We talking to allies partners

We're talking to Afghans about their experience and try to understand how they saw the decisions

and our actions over the course of the war. The commission is also hosting forums for veterans

including a recent one at a National Veterans of Foreign Wars convention

The reason we're in Columbus today is to talk with those coming to this VFW convention

One is to educate them on the purpose of the commission, but it also allows them to have a voice and express their concerns, tell their stories about their experience in Afghanistan

The group released its second interim report in August. It draws no conclusions yet, but identifies themes emerging from documents, interviews, and veteran forums

The commission's final report is due to be made public by August 22nd, 2026