During an interview with Mobile, AL radio FM Talk 106.5’s “Mobile Mornings” on Friday, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, discussed the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and what impact that might have on morale for service personnel, veterans and Gold Star families.
The Texas Republican lawmaker cautioned listeners against viewing veterans and Gold Star families as victims, noting it was a sentiment held by both sides of the aisle.
“[W]hat’s interesting is I talk to Gold Star families a lot,” he said. “You know, Americans, more broadly the general public, has it wrong in what veterans think and what Gold Star families think. You know, they want to believe that Gold Star families feel victimized. They want to believe that. And they want to believe if we rally to bring the troops home, then it’ll be a service to those who sacrificed and a service to veterans and Gold Star families. If that’s what somebody’s thinking is — it could not be more wrong. As a veteran, I say we don’t need your pity. We don’t need your saviorship, OK? We know why we go over there.”
“When I hear from Gold Star families — I had a fascinating discussion yesterday,” Crenshaw continued. “Their main concern right now is, ‘Wait a second — my son sacrificed for this country, to keep this country safe. We had no more 9/11s for 20 years because we were fighting them over there instead of on our shores. And now, who is going to do that? That’s actually the concern because that’s actually the strategic objective this entire time. And Americans lost track of that, left and right. Americans lost track of that fact. Leaders never really communicated that fact well. And that’s how we ended up here. It’s a lot more complicated, or I don’t know about complicated, but it’s a lot more profound than just a bungled departure strategy, which there was, but the problem is much more deep than that.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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