Vets Want Us Out of Afghanistan
President Biden announced that he wants all US troops out of Afghanistan by 9/11/21, two decades after the attack that ostensibly launched our global war on terror. As usual, we’re hearing plenty of opinions from people who’ve never been there and don’t know what they’re talking about.
This week on Black Diplomats host Terrell Starr is talking to three vets who have multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Isiah James was a “door kicker” as he calls it, a frontline grunt who saw the horrors of war firsthand. Richard Brookshire was an Army medic who dealt with the aftermath of battle, and Brittany Ramos DeBarros interacted with Afghan citizens as part of the ‘hearts and minds’ campaign.
Three different experiences, three different perspectives, but they all agree - we should have been out of Afghanistan years ago.
Our guests talk about their time in country, and point out that leaving Afghanistan doesn’t mean US imperialism has slowed down one bit - anyone ever heard of Africom?
Thank you for listening!
Isiah James
ISIAH JAMES is a Jamaican-American community organizer and Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan during his 8 years in service. Isiah ran for Congress in central Brooklyn’s 9th Congressional District in 2019. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College and is pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at Baruch College in New York City.
Brittany Ramos Debarros
Brittany came to About Face: Veterans Against the War with a diverse mix of business, military and non-profit leadership experiences that cemented her deep passion and commitment to intersectional movement building work. She deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2012 and has worked on economic and racial liberation issues in various capacities since she returned. She is particularly passionate about leveraging her experience as a Psychological Operations Officer to center narrative and behavior change in campaign strategy. She is based in NYC.
Richard Brookshire
Richard Brookshire co-founded Black Veterans Project in the Fall of 2018. As a storyteller who leverages innovative and integrated marketing and communications, government affairs and documentary filmmaking to deliver strategic and dynamic social-impact campaigns — his portfolio to date spans across issues relating to racial and economic justice, workforce development, diversity and inclusion, and military and veteran affairs. Richard received an M.P.A. in urban policy with a specialization in media and advocacy from Columbia University and is a former Combat Medic and U.S. Army Veteran of the War in Afghanistan.