American vet: The mission in Afghanistan ended without results

The US Army had intervened a few months earlier in Afghanistan when journalist Farabaugh arrived at Bagram's airport in 2002 as a journalist for the network of transmissions of the armed forces.

This is Major Brian Cole with the United States Army Reserve Forces, 489th Battalion,” introduced to the military that the journalist met when he was distributing textbooks for a school that was re-opened following the collapse of Taliban in a village that, as informed, had just been cleared of mines.

I see our mission as part of American foreign policy, as people are returning from Pakistan and Iran. If we really want them back, we have to help them settle,” says Major Cole.

That same day, he distributed food aid to another remote village, within the framework of the military strategy “to win hearts” to Afghans.

By bringing supplies of food and learning equipment, we are serving as a stabilising measure until nongovernmental organisations arrive that will continue the work we started,” says the major.

Journalist Kane Farabough met with Major Cole more than 19 years ago. It was not easy to find out where he was after nearly two decades. After several attempts, he learned that the military was in a community near Lexington, Kentucky.

I'm one of the guards on this state park. I have become obsessed with the garbage, since in Afghanistan often what seemed to be garbage had hidden inside explosive devices, he relates.

He recalls that despite the dangers, their mission was clear.

We were there for two purposes: to provide support for our military presence by assisting in projects to open water wells, etc., but also for the biggest mission: to help increase support for the new Afghan government,” shows the former Major.

He believes that this strategic goal began to fade and get out of focus when the United States intervened in Iraq in 2003.

You can only realise a major mission. But we tried to carry out two of these missions and that's how we got distracted.”

The war in Afghanistan had personal costs for Mr. Cole. His daughter was a month old when his battalion was sent to war. His family did not easily miss him.

My wife never saw my departure as acceptable. We failed to overcome this problem and divorced”.

He says he made sacrifices to build a better Afghanistan, but the mission was never accomplished.

Perhaps we should say that the mission is over,” he says.

Former Major says the success of the American intervention in Afghanistan should probably be measured with what did not happen:

We were able to anticipate the path of terrorist attacks similar to those of September 11, 2001. We prevented a further spread of the training camps of extremists”.

For this reason, he believes that the United States should not have withdrawn from Afghanistan, citing American forces in Japan or Germany that have been there since World War II.

Brian Cole is now retired veteran. He says he has some things left hostage, including that he has not kept in touch with his Afghan translator.

“I hope to find out where he is and maybe I can help him by being a sponsor if he gets to the United States”.

I loved it. He's been saving our lives,”. Ex-major is excited.

Cole shows that he and the other Americans in his unit had survived.

If you come here, I'll offer you a place to live,” says Mr. Cole.

You'd love it. We've discussed the possibility of him coming to the United States,” remembers Mr. Cole.

Former Major Brian Cole did not have any information on the status of his former translator in Afghanistan, while the withdrawal had begun and in the country was plagued by the chaos and confusion that prompted tens of thousands of Afghans to attack desperately towards Kabul airport to leave. /voa