Opinion: Washington leaders have power but no plan

The incompetence of the Biden administration has hit a new high! Afghanistan disintegrated while Biden was in a vacation bunker, and nobody else could be found. This is not how you end a 20-year boondoggle. Actually, the U.S. won Afghanistan before losing it. The actual troop invasion was our mistake.

Oddly enough, in the backdrop of all this, I met for lunch last week with two other Marine Vietnam veterans. I served there as a Marine officer in 1968. One was a fighter pilot, who served there in 1967. The third was a helicopter pilot, who flew during 1966-67 in Vietnam. He is an author and has written several books. One in particular details his squadron's missions in the northern sector of S. Vietnam and much about Marine operations. It is a great history lesson and a must read. The book details the reality of what real fighting and bravery under fire is all about. Also, I recently visited a friend in my hometown, who was a Navy pilot and one of the last to be shot down and taken prisoner in Vietnam. His navigator was killed instantly, as the plane came apart. My friend was fortunate and had a successful career in the Navy.

All of our discussions were not only about Vietnam, but about Afghanistan-protracted wars, with no real plan.

Why do we declare war or invade without "declaring war"? Vietnam was not a "declared" war. It certainly seemed that way to the four of us! Talk to the families of the 58,000-plus names on the wall in Washington. The numbers are much smaller for Iraq and Afghanistan, but there were tremendous sacrifices and tragedy.

In Vietnam, we were put in the middle of a civil war while battling the N. Vietnam Army, who were well trained and equipped by the Russians and Chinese.

The commandant of the Marine Corps was against going into Vietnam for a buildup. He wanted to know how the Marines would be used and where. The Marines have their own air support but coordinate as part of the overall mission. He did not want to get bogged down in a protracted situation. That's not the mission of the Marines. Top Marine leadership wanted to bomb the north, cut off the supplies and get the situation under control. Of course, that's not what happened. The bombing in the north was restricted, and we ended up dealing with the Viet Cong and battalions of N. Vietnam Army troops coming in. Politics prevailed! Eventually, the U.S. pulled the funding, thus allowing the north to come south and create a humanitarian disaster. Vietnam has advanced, but it is still a communist country.

Twenty years later, the Taliban control more territory in Afghanistan than when we first went there. Terrorism will increase and become a bigger problem for us. Of course, China is more emboldened and will not hesitate to move on Taiwan, sooner than later.

To add insult to injury, the Biden administration has opened our southern border to anyone who wants to walk across: any country, drug dealers, terrorists, criminals, sex traffickers, etc. This is a major security threat! We are also giving them money and transportation throughout the U.S. A large number have COVID-19. We don't know where they are. I think you call this an invasion! Our security should be the No. 1 priority of our leaders. Right now, we are rudderless.

Where are the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs in all this? These two incompetents are too busy pushing critical race theory on the military and looking for the elusive white supremacist. Meanwhile, our naval fleet has shrunk, and our training has become soft. Many good officers and troops are getting out. They don't want to be part of a "woke" military organization.

The team in Washington is basically an extension of the Obama presidency. We know how well that went. That's why Trump was elected. At least he wanted to look at a realistic way to exit Afghanistan. Not leave everyone hanging.

We have lost control now. Some call it Saigon on steroids. I think of "Bay of Pigs." The clueless leaders in Washington have power but no plan. They are more concerned with pushing the Jan. 6 narrative as the worst thing since the Civil War. It seems now this was an FBI-sponsored event that went bad. Why else would you have an unarmed woman shot and no information? We are overwhelmed with misinformation about COVID-19 and total lawlessness on the streets of many cities. The very fabric that holds us together is deteriorating. The four of us, three former Marines and the retired Navy officer (POW), share a belief in our country and what it represents. We don't like the direction in which we are going. We fought against socialism and communism. The current administration is advocating socialism, which leads to communism and control. It has never worked. God help us. I pray that my children and grandchildren have enough fortitude, leadership and common sense to help our country out of this mess.