The latest installment in the Republican National Committee's "Not In Vain" video series features Republican members of Congress who served in Afghanistan telling heartwrenching stories of what they witnessed and survived while serving our country during its longest war.
Previewed exclusively by Townhall, the third video gives Americans a better idea of what it was like to be on the ground in Afghanistan, work with Afghan translators, and put their lives on the line daily. In service to their country and in helping the people of Afghanistan resist Taliban terror to pursue better lives, these veterans know the meaning of sacrifice.
"When I was blown up, I can remember the flash of light and I can remember it tumbling me through the air," says Retired Army Staff Sergeant Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). "And I can remember hearing — I still had my earpiece in my ear after I was blown up — and I could remember the other guys that I was with radioing up my call sign saying 'EOD is hit, EOD is down.'"
"The most painful thing that they put me through," recalls Mast, "was putting tourniquets on what was left of each one of my legs and what was left of my left arm... when they were wrenching those down to keep me from bleeding out on the battlefield."
Mast also recalls how an old friend who cared for him while he was being treated for his wounds got a photograph of Mast's family and "taped it to that flat part at the end of a hospital gurney where my feet probably should have been sticking up — but they weren't — so that whenever I woke up, the first thing that I would see would be my wife and kids looking back at me."
Also featured in the video, Army National Guard Colonel and retired Green Beret Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) reflects on the Taliban's mafia-like means of enforcing their subjugation of Afghanistan's citizens.
"So what I had was what's called a 'night letter,'" Waltz explains. "And these are threats that the Taliban and al-Qaeda tend to give to those who they don't like or want to take action against. The one I was holding up was a night letter delivered by the Taliban in the dead of the night to a school principal telling him to get out of town or else. His crime? Teaching girls."
Despite the threatening letter, Waltz recalls, the principal "stood strong, he resisted, he fought back. And in response, they killed his brother and then they killed his cousin and burnt down the school" to send a clear message to others. "These are the types of thugs that we're dealing with — these are Islamic extremists who run themselves like the mafia — and if you dare to stand up and oppose them, if they can't kill you, they'll hunt down your family and kill them."
"Afghanistan isn't a country on a map for many of us, many of us grew up there and it's part of us, it'll always be part of us," explains Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. "When you're in the trenches with somebody, I mean there is nothing like it — race, religion, ethnicity, sex — none of that matters. All that matters is that you are an American and you're there fighting for America," Gonzalez says. "That's what people forget and that's what Joe Biden forgets: It's all about America."
"I was a physician and I was working mostly on the medical side of the house and doing things of that nature," recalls Retired Navy Rear Admiral Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX). "But I did work with interpreters when I was over there as well. And I hear the stories of the operators that were outside the wire working with these guys, and what I hear — and this is another thing that just really upset me as well — is [for] Joe Biden to blame it on the Afghan forces saying they don't have the will to fight and they're not warriors, you heard just the opposite. If you talk to the special forces community that worked with these Afghan fighters over there, they'll tell you that they are some of the most fearless, brave people that are out there."
"I went back again in 2009 and 2010 deploying as a commanding officer of a fighter squadron," remembers Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX), a retired Navy Commander who completed multiple deployments supporting troops on the ground in Afghanistan. "We were in Bagram as well as Kabul, and we had done a great job of protecting civilians and delivering strikes to eradicate the Taliban and al-Qaeda," he recalls of the success of America's mission before he offers a message to those who served. "I leave it up to historians and political scientists to determine how long this war should have gone, but we did our duty over there. We were proud to do it, as all veterans of Afghanistan should be proud of.”
The Biden administration seems intent on moving on in feeble hopes that if the president doesn't talk about Afghanistan the American people will forget his humiliating and deadly handling of the withdrawal. But these veterans in Congress and the RNC are doing the important work of reminding people that our neighbors, friends, and legislators sacrificed so that we could stay safe and Afghans could, at least for a time, enjoy the blessings of freedom.
"Hearing veterans share their firsthand accounts gives every American a small glimpse of what it means to serve,” explained RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel of the "Not In Vain" series. "Following Joe Biden’s catastrophe in Afghanistan, ensuring our veterans know that their service was not in vain is more important now than ever before. Veterans and active service members alike need to know Americans will always amplify stories of service and commemorate the sacrifices made by members of our military."
The previous two videos in the "Not In Vain" series featured GOP veterans thanking all who served and explaining the costs of Biden's bungled withdrawal.
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