Ask A Woodbury Soldier: Are We Helping?

Have you ever wondered what life is like for American soldiers deployed overseas? Now's your chance to find out.

Greg Schlichting, a , will soon with the U.S. Navy. He will provide Patch readers an inside look at the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

If you have a question for Schlichting, email kris.janisch@patch.com or leave it as a comment below this story.

Are we really helping over there? Should we get out now? (Via Facebook from Shirley Germain)

These are excellent questions that are asked frequently these days—after all, the daily headlines offer grim reminders of the steep American cost of this war.

As is frequently the case in these situations, the answers are not simple.

Whether the benefits achieved from this campaign will ultimately outweigh its cost is an analysis better left to our nation’s political leadership and future historians.

Nevertheless, let me offer some perspective.

Since 2001:

• An eightfold increase in school enrollment for Afghan boys and girls has been achieved (yet literacy is still less than 30 percent).
• Basic access to health care has grown from 10 percent to more than 70 percent (yet maternal mortality is still among the world’s worst).
• Women now serve in national, provincial and military leadership positions (yet in rural Afghanistan, women continue to face a life with few options).
• Roads, electricity, factories and markets are all growing in some parts of the country (yet in many parts of the south and east, opium production remains the primary source of income for entire villages).

There has been tremendous progress in many areas of rebuilding Afghan society, and yet so much is yet to be done.

The president’s decision to start reducing the number of combat troops in Afghanistan drew immediate concern from the Afghans I correspond with.

The uncertainty of our continued commitment erodes the hope and confidence of the Afghan people in their own future.

Building peace out of a lifetime of war is a challenging process, and with a decade of unfulfilled promises, Afghans are understandably cautious and skeptical.

A successful transition requires unwavering partnership and unfailing patience to overcome the heavy burden that has buried Afghans for decades. Peace-building in Afghanistan will be a very long-term process.

But should we care? Personally, I would never turn my back on a neighbor in need, regardless of the cost, and I view Afghanistan as part of our global neighborhood.

But beyond the desire to help a desperate nation regain its foothold, there is a more nationalistic, selfish interest in continuing our efforts in central Asia.

A rapid withdrawal may lead to a failed state where civil war, warlords and terrorists rediscover a base for future operations—this may have direct national security impacts on the U.S.  

So, even if the cost of nation-building is great, the cost of doing nothing may be even greater. History will have to judge whether the cost we bear is justified by the benefit we ultimately achieve.