I would never surrender and would to fight to my last breath rather than be captured. I can tell you that if you are captured by the Taliban/AQ/ ISIS or any other terror organization you at the very least be tortured and most likely hung or beheaded. Your torture and death will be recorded and used as propaganda. I ve seen the tapes that are distributed in Iraq and in Afghanistan and they are beyond description.
I would fight until I my last breath because the men I serve with would do the same for me.
For those saying they could not fight for oil, corporate interests, Exxon, etc... BS. If you need to tell yourself that to feel better or justify something ok but at least keep that to yourself.
You fight for the person next to you. You fight because you believe there is evil in the world. If you doubt the evil, you have no idea what happens to women and children in Iraq, Afghanstan, Syria, etc... its pure evil nothing else can explain it and I'll would do anything to stop that evil from reaching our shores.
(08-23-2021, 02:57 PM)mikesez Wrote: [ -> ]I would absolutely fight for my country but I would do so under a command structure. If my command structure fell apart, as the ANA's did, it would be pointless to keep fighting openly. I'd have to take off the uniform and decide if I wanted to try to live a quiet life under enemy rule, or run to another country, or attempt disorganized/guerilla warfare against the enemy. No idea what I would choose
What you fail to realize is that the AFA didn't have any sort of "command structure" other than our troops.
Regarding the part in bold, that is a very cowardly thought process. I am so glad that the founders of our country never had this mindset.
(08-22-2021, 07:03 PM)copycat Wrote: [ -> ] (08-22-2021, 04:09 PM)americus 2.0 Wrote: [ -> ]I'm reading some interesting conversations in a reddit Afghanistan thread about how things went down over there. One conversation was specifically about the ANA surrendering after their chain of command ordered them to. Another reason they surrendered was they ran out of ammo and simply couldn't fight anymore. One question/comment in particular was interesting.
It's a domino effect too though not just crooked. If you see cities falling and it looks like you're going to lose. Wouldn't you rather surrender and hope to have some favour with the Taliban rather than fight and lose men and possibly be executed? And if you decide that then surrendering becomes even more appealing to the next leader along the line.
None of us knows how we'll react in high stress situations but my first reaction to the bolded part was, hell no I would not surrender. As a woman I'd just be trafficked for sex so obviously I would 100% fight to the death and I just wouldn't go down without a fight. But you guys would have.....options. Would you fight no matter what or would you surrender?
Let me try to post again.
I am sure of the answer for anyone that served. For me personally, I would rather die defending the country I grew up in than surrendering for any reason.
I served. For me the answer is yes I would fight and die if need be to preserve my country as long as the country stands for the ideals that make it worth preserving. That's an important caveat and I think everyone should consider it.
Also I wonder how I would REALLY respond if my life (or my family's) was in direct jeopardy. Anyone who thinks they know how they would respond doesn't *really* know, with the exception of a few who have been in that position.
(08-23-2021, 03:57 PM)jagibelieve Wrote: [ -> ] (08-23-2021, 02:57 PM)mikesez Wrote: [ -> ]I would absolutely fight for my country but I would do so under a command structure. If my command structure fell apart, as the ANA's did, it would be pointless to keep fighting openly. I'd have to take off the uniform and decide if I wanted to try to live a quiet life under enemy rule, or run to another country, or attempt disorganized/guerilla warfare against the enemy. No idea what I would choose
What you fail to realize is that the AFA didn't have any sort of "command structure" other than our troops.
Regarding the part in bold, that is a very cowardly thought process. I am so glad that the founders of our country never had this mindset.
You should broaden your understanding of the Revolutionary war. Guerrilla tactics were absolutely used and uniforms were not always worn.
When I say I would have to think about what I'd choose, I'm being very general. In the specific circumstances the founders faced, where the King would appoint new governors without consulting the people, and those governors wouldn't let local assemblies and legislatures meet, I would have fought.
If I were a current Afghan resident, I'd fight for my country but I would do it in a strategic manner. Simply getting a gun and attempting to kill Taliban members will only get you killed with no different outcome of the Taliban taking over. I'd give it a little time to see if outside resources can help and concurrently attempt to form a coup to fight in numbers; maybe contact the Proud Boys to see if they can help overthrow the pending government entity that will rule the country. They seem to have experience in that category.