The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Marking a milestone at H-M-S Middle School

It goes without saying that Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn’s new 5-8 grade building is night and day compared to its predecessor.

A brief walk-through will reveal hulking ceilings, bright windows, open spaces and a gymnasium some area high schools would envy. Much like the district’s new elementary school, the place is a gem.

The middle school’s opening put the coda on H-M-S’s $18.9 million facilities project, which in addition to both a new elementary and junior high, significantly upgraded the high school. The project was approved by 65.5 percent of voters April 3, 2018 during the district’s fourth bond measure in four years. It was an investment in the future that seems to be well worth it – the buildings are beautiful.

These improvements give H-M-S a cutting edge in today’s modern education environment. Open spaces and adaptable rooms will give students and teacher more chances at collaboration, and diverse classroom setups will give kids more opportunities for hands-on learning. It’s a 21st Century learning environment that bares few, if any, competitors across the state.

H-M-S has a good thing going right now. The last three years have been a whirlwind, but the ribbons are cut and classes are in session. The passage of the bond issue was huge and the fact that these buildings are now open is even bigger.

Congratulations to the H-M-S Community School District, and go Hawks!

20 years, for what?

The lightning-fast collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban has left mouths agape worldwide. The withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces was expected to create challenges for the Afghan National Army, but nobody expected Kabul to fall so quickly. After nearly 20 years, thousands of casualties and billions of dollars, many are wondering the point of it all.

President Joe Biden announced in April that all American troops would be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11. That was no big stunner – his predecessor, Donald Trump, announced his own plan to end America’s longest war, and it was one of the very few things both men agreed upon. Two decades is a long time for anything, especially armed conflict.

The withdrawal began earlier this spring and it didn’t take long for the Taliban to start recapturing territory in the vast rural swaths of Afghanistan. The speed at which they reclaimed the country was shocking, though, and that’s what caught everyone off guard. Nobody expected Afghanistan’s armed forces to lie down without mustering some semblance of resistance.

The blitz culminated with Taliban forces walking into Kabul without shedding any blood. There was no fight; there was no battle. Despite the speed at which it happened, it seems this conclusion was inevitable.

America can’t fight Afghanistan’s war with the Taliban forever. We trained and equipped an army there of 300,000, and it was overtaken by 70,000 Taliban fighters in only a few months. If we didn’t manage to change the country in 20 years, staying longer would make no material difference whatsoever.

The exit itself is where this whole thing fell apart. American military officials expected the Afghan army to put up at least some fight, but they were woefully wrong. That erroneous assumption led to the debacle that’s unfolded for the past two weeks. The United States has had to scramble to get remaining contractors, embassy officials and Afghans who helped with military operations out of the Kabul airport. Some desperate individuals have died in the process, and it’s edging towards a humanitarian crisis. It’s the fall of Saigon all over again.

This blunder-filled exit was a failure on many fronts caused by wrong assumptions, miscalculations and plain old idiocy. It will no doubt be a stain on Biden’s legacy, though nobody can truly say if another administration would have done it better. We’ve wanted to be out of Afghanistan for a long time and leaving was never going to be easy.

Where things go from here is anyone’s guess. The Taliban, which has not intervened during the airlift in Kabul, says American evacuation efforts must conclude by the end of the month. Leaders have also pledged that this is a “new Taliban” – one that will respect women’s rights and not seek retribution on Afghans who helped U.S. troops. Anyone who believes that can stand on their head. This is still the same brutal regime that gave Al Qaeda refuge prior to the 9/11 attacks. Don’t be shocked if Afghanistan reverts back to a hub for terrorism without us there.

So what was the point of our 20-year war? The mission in Afghanistan expanded so far beyond the scope of its original intent. We went there to kick out Al Qaeda and hunt down Osama bin Laden, but we stayed to build a democracy, an economy and an entire army. Those efforts, it seems, were in vain.

Let us never forget the brave men and women who lost their lives during this fight. America’s longest war is over, but their memory must live on. So too must the lessons learned throughout the last 20 years. The road to hell is often paved with good intentions, and though we wanted the best for Afghanistan, we were never going to save it from itself.