An ex-Marine details the chaotic exit from Afghanistan — and how we should mark it
As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan last year, Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman was frantically rebuilding a network of old allies to help desperate Afghans escape.
It's been almost a year since the Taliban took over Afghanistan again and the U.S. military pulled out of the country.
As the withdrawal unfolded, Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman was watching the chaos from a distance. He was on a family vacation in Italy but couldn't tear himself away from what was happening.
Ackerman had deployed to Afghanistan multiple times. He felt bound to America's Afghan allies, so when the U.S. announced it was leaving and those same Afghans were desperate to get out, he lay awake at night, glued to his phone.
"My entire network was lighting up and it had become quickly a.
