Pa. State Sen. Doug Mastriano: Message to Afghan veterans – you gave your all and inspired hope

During my 30-year career in the U.S Army, I had the honor of serving in Afghanistan for several tours. I feel the pain of loss as I reflect on those three deployments. 

This entire situation is hard to come to terms with. After so much sacrifice and loss, it all seems to be in vain. After my first deployments to Afghanistan, I regretted not having done anything directly and personally to help ameliorate the suffering of the Afghan people. I promised God that should I deploy again, I would find a way to help orphans, the most vulnerable in the nation. A few months later, my NATO unit was ordered into Afghanistan, where I would lead a unit comprised of about 80 men and women from 18 different nations.