Was it really just 22 years ago that we were attacked? When 2,977 Americans died in the deadliest act of terrorism in our history?

Have we forgotten the lessons we should have learned?

For a brief period after 9/11, the nation rallied around President Bush. We were ready to fight a War on Terror. We were going after Osama bin Laden and the others responsible.

Within mere months, the Left began sniping at the heels of the Bush Administration, questioning the means and effectiveness of the military efforts.

By 2007, the handling of the war was a major election issue, with candidate Barack Obama promising to end the War in Iraq and “finish the job” in Afghanistan.

Once in the Oval Office, reality slapped President Obama in the face. To his credit, he realized that there was no simple way to withdraw from the region without forfeiting the security gains that had been won at such a great cost of blood and treasure.

Obama back-pedaled on his campaign rhetoric, and heeded much of the advice from his military commanders. He had the good sense not to abandon the Afghans and Iraqis after we had invested so much in driving the terrorist enclaves out of their countries.

Did we completely destroy the terrorists? Of course not. I doubt any rational person ever thought that was doable.

But our military presence did severely hamper the ability of their networks to operate. We killed many of the top-level terrorist commanders. US air power controlled the skies and continually disrupted the transportation of enemy weapons and personnel on the ground.

Did we create a democratic utopia in Afghanistan and Iraq? Again, of course not!

But thanks to our military, two of earth’s biggest hell-holes had been civilized to a degree that had been unthinkable before.

REAL PROGRESS WAS MADE

In Afghanistan, for the first time in history, citizens were allowed to vote!

Women were freed from the shackles of Taliban oppression.  Young girls could attend school. Wives could walk to the market without being escorted by a male relative.  Females were no longer totally enslaved by the Afghan patriarchy.

Was Afghanistan a textbook model of law and order with liberty and justice for all?  Not by any means. But compared to life under the Taliban, the people of Afghanistan were breathing the freest air they had ever known.

In Iraq, despite the government corruption; despite the criminal activities of local tribal militias; despite every mistake we made, life was undoubtedly better than it had been under the cruel dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

Here again, women were set free from an entrenched system of male dominance. The rule of law was slowly being established. Iraqis had a glimmer of hope for the future that had never existed under Hussein.

The press kept a tally of civilian casualties during the Iraqi war and our occupation. We were confronted daily with fresh updates, the subtext of course being: Are our efforts in Iraq worth the cost?

Sadly, yes, there were collateral civilian casualties during the fighting. This is one tragic but unavoidable result of modern war.

But we forget something here also. At no time during the Iraqi war did civilian casualties reach 3,000 people PER DAY, which is the estimate given for the number of Iraqis that were tortured to death daily in Saddam Hussein’s political prisons.

We have forgotten that despite all the problems, all the failures, all the unanticipated consequences, we succeeded in our primary missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We crippled the terrorists’ ability to operate. We removed Saddam Hussein, one of history’s cruelest tyrants, from power. We eliminated Osama bin Laden and crippled Al Qaeda.

Coalition armed forces established some semblance of civil order in both Iraq and Afghanistan. As crazy as life still was in those Muslim societies, our presence provided stability and tamped down the overt lawlessness that had been the norm for decades.

OUR TROOPS PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE

Our military service members paid dearly to achieve these results. According to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq cost America 7,057 dead and 53,356 wounded.

We all hate war. We hate to pay that awful price. But did we really have a choice?

I don’t think so.

We’ve all heard the quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

That is as true now as it has ever been. Because of our response to the 9/11 attacks, some brutal tyrants were destroyed.

America was safer because we attacked our enemies’ strongholds. After being hit on 9/11, we had taken the fight to the terrorists’ home. We fought this war as an “away game.”

So when President Biden took office in 2021, I was alarmed by his recklessness.

Among so many other things, he seems to have forgotten what was at stake in Iraq and Afghanistan.

US COMMANDERS URGED RESOLUTE CAUTION

There were numerous good reasons to stay. We had already dropped to a minimal level of troops deployed on the ground, and most of them were in advisory roles. Violence in Afghanistan had greatly subsided, and we were in more of a support and policing mode.

As in Iraq, most ground operations were in the hands of national troops. Our major contributions were tactical air support, aerial surveillance, training, and supplies.

We had established a network of supply facilities and air bases that enabled US commanders to respond quickly and effectively when our Afghan allies needed support.

Our military had developed extensive intelligence networks with the local population.  US commanders had countless local eyes and ears feeding them Intel about suspicious movements of people and supplies.

This information was priceless, and would cease the moment our umbrella of protection was withdrawn.

We also were obligated to protect the hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians who risked their lives to assist us in support roles as interpreters and guides.

For all the above reasons, and more, President Biden’s military advisors BEGGED him to leave the situation alone.

But President Biden wanted to be a legend in his own mind. He wanted to go down in history as the President who “ended” the War in Afghanistan.

So he threw away all the gains our military had fought so hard to win. He declared a unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He not only made a terrible decision, but he did not allow time to plan for any kind of orderly departure. He also failed to provide safe passage so our Afghan allies could escape the wrath of the Taliban before we abandoned them.

THE HIGH COST OF GIVING UP

In his haste, he left behind billions of dollars of sophisticated US military equipment for our enemies to use. We will never know the true cost of Joe Biden’s gift to terrorism, because his administration has classified that information as secret for “national security reasons.”

Now, we are back to Square One. We will pay dearly for this someday.

There was a good reason we went there in the first place. Our sons and daughters gave their lives to subdue the terrorist snake-pit of a lawless Afghanistan. They did it to protect the rest of us.

But Joe Biden forgot (if he ever really knew) what that sacrifice was all about.  He pulled the plug. He threw away everything we had paid for, everything they had died for.

The Taliban again controls Afghanistan. Only now, they are much better armed, and they have no fear of America. President Biden has humiliated us in the eyes of our enemies.

The brave Afghan civilians who worked with our troops (and saved many American lives) are hunted down like dogs, imprisoned, and tortured to death.

We have betrayed our allies, and emboldened our enemies.

Terror cells grow like mushrooms in the mountains of Afghanistan. They once again have safe encampments where they can train, plan operations, and stockpile supplies.

We will be hearing from them again soon. Joe Biden may be trying to forget about them, but they have not forgotten about us.

The War on Terror has been an “away game” for years. Thanks to President Biden, the terrorists’ war on us will likely be coming home to America soon.

Maybe even to a city near you.