09.02.21 Editor’s Desk

I cannot believe that it has been 20 years since the 9/11 tragedy.

While it was two decades ago, I can still remember the day in my head with such vivid detail that it could easily have been last week. I was a brand new airman in the Air Force, just enlisting seven months prior, and I was stationed at my first base in Aviano, Italy.

It was almost 3 o’clock in the afternoon there when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I was an AMMO troop and I was with my team in the inspection office with count sheets from our recent munitions inventory spread out in front of us when one of the young inspectors came out of the breakroom saying a plane crashed into the World Trade Center.

We all moved into the break room and I took a seat on an old brown and beige couch, the kind with a wood frame that looked like it would be more at home in a 1970s family room. There were 10 or 12 of us in the room and everyone had a theory of what happened.

“The pilot lost control of the plane.”

“It was faulty equipment.”

“I bet the flight crew was drunk.”

Everyone’s guess centered on this being an accident. Nobody in that room thought this was a purposeful act on anyone’s part until about 15 minutes later as we watched a second plane slam into the South Tower. We sat in complete silence as we tried to process what we just saw. After a few moments, the officers in the room told us airmen to head back to our rooms but to stay close to the phone.

I got back to my room and turned the TV on just in time to hear that another plane crashed into the Pentagon. I remember my buddy John with his hands on his head saying “Jesus Christ, we’re under attack.”

The next few weeks, compared to those first couple of hours, were a complete blur. We increased the number of troops on base and Aviano became a final stop for planes heading into Afghanistan, where we had invaded to overthrow the Taliban who had been allowing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to operate out of their country. When we took control from the Taliban, most Afghan citizens celebrated as they were happy to be out from under their rule.

Now almost 20 years to the month from when we first went in, we have turned and abandoned them to the same group that we celebrated liberating them from. We asked them to stand with us and fight with us against the Taliban and now we owe safety and security to those who put their lives in danger to help us. I’ve seen social media light up since the Taliban took back Kabul arguing over who is at fault.

“It’s Biden’s fault for pulling out like he did.”

“It’s Trump’s fault for making a deal with the Taliban.”

“It’s Obama’s fault because he didn’t leave completely after we got Bin Laden.”

“It’s Bush’s fault for going in without a clear plan.”

All of it is accurate. The mishandling of the war on terror is the fault of every administration since 2000. Screwing over the people of Afghanistan is the only true bipartisan act our political leaders have been a part of in the last 20 years.

Thousands of U.S. military members have died, tens of thousands wounded, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have died and trillions of dollars have been spent all so at the end of 20 years Afghanistan can go back to how it was in 2001, under control of the oppressive Taliban. As a veteran it shames me that this is how we would abandon the Afghan people who relied on our help – but it doesn’t surprise me as it isn’t the first time we have turned our backs on those who we promised a fighting chance to.

So as we remember the tragedy that occurred on U.S. soil in 2001 and we tell our fellow Americans to “Never Forget,” let’s also remember the tragedy that has just occurred and never forget what we let happen on the sands of Afghanistan.

In this issue, as students head back into the classrooms we check in with school boards and LGBTQ organizations about local Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. We also have a special travel section looking at places for LGBTQ folks to vacation safely.

We also chat with Gabe Liedman, co-creator and star of Netflix’s latest animated series “Q-Force” and look at the TampaRep’s new show, “Open.”

In news, the National Trans Visibility March moves forward with its October events in Orlando and candidates Ken Welch and Robert Blackmon advance to the general election for St. Petersburg’s mayoral race.

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