Jack Carr's take on the 9/11 terror attacks — including 'hope' and the lessons from Afghanistan
Former Navy SEAL and bestselling author of upcoming ‘Targeted’ nonfiction series weighs in on terror acts that changed history

Published September 11, 2023 4:00am EDT
By Jack Carr | Fox News

Twenty-two years have passed since the attack that changed the course of history and not a day has gone by that I have not thought about 9/11.

In remembering that Tuesday in September, it is hard not to reflect on all that followed.

Two years removed from the disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces, I think of the flag officers who — year after year, for close to two decades — went before Congress, the American people and their troops, to say time and time again that we were "making progress" and that we needed just a little more time, additional resources or increased funding to capitalize on our hard-earned gains and those of the Afghan people.

These are the same leaders who had 20 years to prepare for an eventual withdrawal. We saw their best efforts play out in real time in August 2021.

Have any been held accountable? The answer is a resounding no.

I encourage all Americans to read Craig Whitlock’s "The Afghanistan Papers" to find out what those same officers were saying in what they believed were to be classified interviews unearthed through two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

Politicians and military commanders deceived the public and their own troops throughout America’s longest war — a war the nature of which they did not understand.

Too many elected representatives were blinded by the dazzling array of administrative awards that adorned the left chests of clean and pressed dress uniforms worn by generals and admirals with impressive resumes and taxpayer-funded postgraduate degrees who largely succeeded in organizations where advancement was predicated on checking boxes and impressing the officer a rung above in the chain of command.

Too many of those same military commanders failed upward and now sit on boards of defense industry companies whose weapon systems they approved for purchase while still in uniform. They are now profiting from a new war in Ukraine while enjoying the benefits of a full four-star military pension.

The policymakers, planners and strategic decision-makers will write their histories as did McNamara and Westmoreland. From time to time, they will shuffle before the cameras to promote a new war without disclosing they might benefit financially from the commitment of U.S. or NATO forces attached to lucrative defense contracts.

Today, as every day, I think of those who were left to deal with the strategic blunders of their fathers — the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who returned home dealing with the physical and emotional trauma of the battlefield, those who never came back, those who have taken their lives since.

I think of the blood, sweat and tears of a generation still staining the Afghan soil.

I think of the special operators and CIA officers in the mountains of Tora Bora in December 2001 in what Carl von Clausewitz would have identified as the "culminating point of victory." And I think of how those far from the battlefield "snatched defeat from the jaws of victory."

I think of the Taliban’s march toward Kabul in the months leading up to our withdrawal and of the U.S. military abandoning Bagram in the dark of night in early July 2021 — a grim foreshadowing of what was to come.

I remember elected and appointed officials in Washington, D.C., going on vacation as Kabul fell.

I think of history books unopened.

I can’t help but think of imperial hubris.

I think of lessons not heeded.

On Dec. 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

After nine years of war, on Feb. 15, 1989, the last Soviet soldier departed the Graveyard of Empires.

The following day The New York Times wrote, "The war … scarred a generation of young people and undermined the cherished image of an invincible Soviet Army … The Soviet Government now faces a period of reckoning with the roots and consequences of the war."

Just shy of three years later, on Dec. 25, 1991, the red Soviet flag with gold hammer and sickle flew over the Kremlin for the last time.

LESSONS …

I think of the intellectual inertia of those we trust to make our strategic decisions.

I think of bodies falling from planes, and of our brave troops forced into tactically disadvantageous positions by those in temperature-controlled offices in The Beltway.

I think of 13 dead Americans coming home in caskets as an elected official and lifetime bureaucrat checked his watch on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base.

Those 13 dead service members had been doing their duty half a world away amid the chaos of Abbey Gate.

I think of those wounded in that attack, their lives forever altered. The dead and wounded, and their families, trusted the flag officers in starched uniforms, officers not strong enough to stand up and protect their troops from senseless decisions made far from Hamid Karzai International Airport.

I think of U.S. citizens left behind and the fate of our Afghan partners, partners who fought with us and trusted us. Trust.

I think of the beheadings and executions of those we worked with and the torture and murder of their wives and children.

I think of veterans mobilizing and using private funding and assets to extract those who had believed in us.

I think of politicians and media outlets anxious to focus on other stories.

I think of those who will never be held accountable.

I wonder if we will ever learn the lessons of the past and apply them to the future in the form of wisdom.

But — I also reflect on the flags raised in the wake of 9/11.

I remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics and first responders who ran into burning buildings that fateful day 22 years ago this morning.

I recall the hundreds of thousands of Americans who lined up to give blood.

I am reminded of the Red Cross personnel who manned shelters and served meals to rescue and recovery workers alongside volunteers combing through the rubble at Ground Zero.

And I am touched at the memory of families who gathered in communities across the nation in candlelight vigils.

Today, I remember those who stood up in the aftermath of the attack to answer the call.

They raised their right hands and swore an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

Those memories give me hope, hope that as Americans it is still possible to band together and move forward stronger and wiser.

I have hope because there are those who believe in holding the line despite the actions of those in suits or tailored uniforms in the nation’s capitol.

At this very moment, there are troops deployed abroad at the tactical level, special operators and intelligence officers tasked with keeping America safe, dedicated to preventing another 9/11.

And there are firefighters, paramedics and police officers responding to calls right now, protecting and serving their fellow citizens, ready to run into collapsing buildings as others run out.

There is hope in the lessons of the past and in the lessons of the U.S. experience in Afghanistan.

But, as it was passed to me in the SEAL Teams, hope is not a course of action.

Our future depends on dusting off the history books, heeding their lessons and then applying those lessons going forward as wisdom.

We owe those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11 and in the Afghan dirt nothing less.

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Biden enrages 9/11 families by not going to memorial sites on anniversary: 'Opposite' of Never Forget

Published September 11, 2023 9:53am EDT
By Taylor Penley | Fox News

President Biden is taking heat from some families of 9/11 victims for departing from tradition and becoming the first U.S. president in 22 years to neither spend the day at an attack site nor the White House.

"It's no surprise to me that he's not coming to Ground Zero or any of the 9/11 sites," Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Arias, who lost his brother Adam during the attacks, told "Fox & Friends First" Monday.

"And quite frankly, I prefer he stay away anyway. We will be spared one of his stories of how he can relate, like he did with the people of Lahaina, how he can relate because of a kitchen fire. We can do without that."

Biden, who is returning to Washington, D.C., following a trip overseas to India and Vietnam, is set to speak later today at a ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, while Vice President Kamala Harris is among the elected officials attending events at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

"[President Biden] plans to honor the lives lost and the families of loved ones who still feel the pain of the terrible day," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"This is something he feels is very important to do. We can only imagine the heartbreak and pain that the 9/11 families have felt every day for the past 22 years."

Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom at the World Trade Center, criticized Biden's decision as "the opposite of what we've all pledged to never forget."

"He is now just saying that flippantly that he doesn't have to come to any of the sites and commemorate the loss with the families. That's terrible," she continued.

Strada serves as chair of 9/11 Families United, a coalition of families and survivors of the terrorist attack that shook the nation. Together, they call for full transparency surrounding the events of that day while keeping the memory of its victims alive.

Matt Bocchi, the son of 9/11 victim John Bocchi, called the departure from tradition evidence of the "unfortunate reality" about the country's climate 22 years later.

"If our leader is so willing to not show up to the memorial service, it's showing the message that Americans have forgotten and that it's OK to forget. Unfortunately for myself and for all the other families and those joining with us this morning, we have no way of forgetting," he said Monday.

"This is something that forever changed our lives and this is something that we're going to live with forever, even if the rest of the country can let this be a day that they do forget."

The 9/11 attacks carried out by al Qaeda terrorists under the thumb of Usama bin Laden claimed the lives of 2,977 victims and changed the national security and foreign policy landscape for decades to come.

Something nice for 9/11:

There is so much iron in those words in the first article. Reminds me of this

Savage. And rightly so.

quote:

"It's no surprise to me that he's not coming to Ground Zero or any of the 9/11 sites," Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Arias, who lost his brother Adam during the attacks, told "Fox & Friends First" Monday.

"And quite frankly, I prefer he stay away anyway. We will be spared one of his stories of how he can relate, like he did with the people of Lahaina, how he can relate because of a kitchen fire. We can do without that."

I did not read the articles but have left the tv off over the last couple of days.

Remembering, yes. Absolutely.

Dwelling, no.

Seem's like way to much dwelling on the past.

No disrespect meant in any way.

Just my two bits fwiw.

Looks like Biden's on his way back from his Asian adventures and will make a statement from Alaska about 9/11 this afternoon.
I doubt he want's to remind anyone of his mishandling of our final departure from Afghanistan.

The first article is a guide of who has been making the decisions and how they got in those positions. Based on the path he describes, it isn't all that surprising they fumbled the ball, many times in fact.

In any case, today is a day I will always remember, much like my parents must have remembered Pearl Harbor.
The 9/11 stories we admire are about the ordinary people that performed so well, many heroically, that day and after.
That's who we should remember today, not the Generals or politicians.

He should have been present, as have previous presidents, if only to keep his mouth shut and show some modicum of respect for once. The man displays no virtue whatsoever.

Remembering on the anniversary is not "dwelling", same as remembering on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Veterans Day.

Responding to Jack Carr's thoughts on (in particular) Afghanistan and the withdrawal.

I won't forget this either, or the events leading up to this photo.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I did not read the articles but have left the tv off over the last couple of days.

Remembering, yes. Absolutely.

Dwelling, no.

Seem's like way to much dwelling on the past...

One article is about remembering, holding the corrupt leadership accountable and hoping that lessons can be learned. The other is about the puppet-in-chief who shows disrespect. What the heck is "dwelling in the past" anyway? You didn't even read the articles, my friend.

Last evening 60 Minutes replayed a piece from 2021. The entire hour was retrospective focused on the men and women of the NYFD. It was humbling. The courage of those firefighters was, and is, above and beyond the call.

I am reminded of the bravery and courage of many others that day. The passenger/warriors of Flight 93. The occupants of the World Trade Center buildings and Pentagon. The members of NYPD, The Port Authority Police and all the many others who responded in NY, PA and DC.

I will never forget.

I will also never forget that the current occupant of the White House walked out on a Medal of Honor winner last week and this week decided to forego honoring the fallen of 9/11. He is unworthy of the title Commander in Chief.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I did not read the articles but have left the tv off over the last couple of days.

Remembering, yes. Absolutely.

Dwelling, no.

Seem's like way to much dwelling on the past.

No disrespect meant in any way.

Just my two bits fwiw.

Make it four bits. I'm right there with you.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Savage. And rightly so.

quote:

"It's no surprise to me that he's not coming to Ground Zero or any of the 9/11 sites," Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Arias, who lost his brother Adam during the attacks, told "Fox & Friends First" Monday.

"And quite frankly, I prefer he stay away anyway. We will be spared one of his stories of how he can relate, like he did with the people of Lahaina, how he can relate because of a kitchen fire. We can do without that."

Yeah, spare us the redressing of a kitchen fire as a fiery inferno that made him almost jumped through a window. I did not think of that until now.

Regarding Biden's fiasco of the Afghanistan retreat, I'm reading Kabul, the Untold Story by Jerry Dunleavy and James Hasson. I'm 48 pages in and I'm livid at the gross incompetence and lack of taking responsibility by the politicos and military brass. Utter disgust.

Biden may not remember 9/11. He may not remember his own name.

His speech seemed to focus on not forgetting the families and the loss.

WRONG!

Never Forget means you constantly keep in mind the evil forces that perpetrated the act, those involved it making it happen, the few that tried to stop them on one flight, those who sacrificed everything in attempt to save the innocent lives put at risk, AND the thousands of innocent lives lost.

This was my comment on Instapundit.com to the Biden spokesghoul’s response that 22 years after Pearl Harbor people were not commemorating it:

quote:

22 years after Pearl Harbor, we had smashed the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy; the Thousand Year Reich was long gone; Japan was a base for our troops to invade Korea; and the Federal Republic of Germany was on its way to bring rearmed and a member of NATO.
22 years after 9/11, Iraq was turned over to Iran; Afghanistan is a catastrophe ruled once again by the Taliban; and Iran on its way to being a nuclear power. Al Qaeda and its allies are taking over the African Sahel; the GWOT has been declared a non-event. Denmark is afraid to criticize Islam, and Dutch politicians are in hiding for their lives. Muslim “immigrants” have made Sweden the crime capital of Northern Europe.
Need I go on?