Veteran: ‘I think we turned our back on the Afghanistan army’

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Local veterans have some very strong opinions about what is going on over in Afghanistan and are concerned about the people left behind.

Some veterans believe America should not have pulled out completely while others believe removing troops from the area was a good idea but are unhappy with the way the removal was done.

Many military members lost their lives in Afghanistan, others returned home with battle scars, both mental and physical.

One of those a marine, Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower, is a Purple Heart recipient after serving in Afghanistan and getting injured during combat

“[Monday] was actually 13 years anniversary of the date that I was injured in Afghanistan and looking at this and all this I know in my heart of hearts that what we were doing at the time was the right thing to do. It’s not all for naught, and a lot of people lost their lives and lost limbs, and a lot of people sacrificed a lot but I truly believe we made some difference in there,” said Hightower.

One major concern he expressed was for those Afghan people who helped the American troops in tthe country but are now left wondering if America will save them or if they will die at the hands of the Taliban.

Hightower served alongside a man named Gafore Jon.

The sheriff is unsure of Jon’s whereabouts or if his friend is safe.

“Your heart goes out to those who were willing to step up and fight for a better life but it’s very difficult to see and watch everything unfold the way it’s happening right now,” said Hightower.

One local man, Brian Gorham, was killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Mike McKinney is a close family friend of Gorham and a veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard.

“I feel proud he went to serve. I feel sorry for the loss. It’s kind of a conflicting emotion. You’re volunteering to, up to your death, defend this country and he knew what the oath was when he went in, and I think he did that proudly,” said McKinney.

McKinney says the country failed in dealing with removing troops from Afghanistan.

“We should have been more deliberate when we backed out. I think we left a lot of people over there, translators, people that worked with us, right, and we just totally turn it back on them, and I think we turned our back on the Afghanistan army,” said McKinney.

McKinney says losing a close family friend in combat and then, years later, seeing Afghanistan get taken over by the Taliban so quickly is devastating.