So many friends names on the Wall. Even almost 50 years have passed and the pain seems almost too much to bear. But, the clusterfuck in Afghanistan rips it open again. 

It would be easier to bear if we had learned from our evil enterprise in Vietnam. But, no. The same dereliction of duty, hubris, arrogance, and the central idea of American Exceptionalism endures. More loss, more pain, more suffering on an unimaginable scale. That's the very worst part. No lessons learned. 

The shame of leaving allies behind will never be erased. We can not ever atone. But, that's a question for another day. Right now, let's get everyone out that can be saved. 

Biden was right to end the endless war. It was never going to be pretty. Now the pundits, the Monday quarterbacks. and the arm chair generals that never even dreamed of putting themselves at risk or had to make a decision more important than what shade of socks to wear this morning are piling on. But, plenty of time for after action reports and lessons learned. 

Let's hope this time we learned some lessons.