16/08/2021
I've been watching the heartbreaking video and images of Afghans desperately trying to flee the country. They know that, if the Taliban are able to get a hold of them, they are almost certain to die.
The US government has known from the beginning that the Afghans and their families who have assisted the military would face reprisals from the Taliban, and yet they have sat on nearly 20,000 visa applications from Afghans desperate to flee to the US.
For those who are wondering how the US government could abandon the Afghans and their families who helped the military, this is sadly nothing new.
You are watching a replay of how they abandoned the Montagnards in Vietnam.
The Montagnards are a collection of tribes who lives in the mountains of Vietnam. During the US occupation of Vietnam, the Montagnards were some of the military greatest allies.
There are many stories and documentaries detailing the relationship that was forged between the US Special Force "Green Berets" and the Montagnards.
And yet, when push came to shove, the US abandoned them, first to the South Vietnamese government, and then to the NVA and Viet Cong.
As a result, 200,000 Montagnards were killed (about 20% of their population), and nearly all of their land was taken from them.
Today, the Montagnards continue to face repression and marginalization in Vietnam.
Only a couple thousand of them were ever allowed to come to US.
The lesson that was learned in Vietnam is being re-learned in Afghanistan: if you help the US government, you will lose everything.
