Reflections on Afghanistan by a Vietnam Veteran
Fifty-five years ago, while serving in Vietnam, I sent home a tape recording in which I expressed an opinion that the Vietnamese would just as soon be left alone to live their lives. Nine years later, a corrupt state collapsed and we left them to their fate. Many Vietnamese paid a heavy price for helping us and many fled and became U.S. citizens. The country they left behind, after painful struggles, found a way to prosper, even if not as the democracy we would have liked to see.
Like Vietnam, the end in Afghanistan has come breathtakingly quickly. I admire President Biden’s resolve to end our involvement in a Sisyphean war. There can be no miraculous conclusion that a few more troops sent for a little longer will achieve. Now the future is Afghanistan’s responsibility. I believe they will sort things out in time. At least we have given them a taste of what a society that honors women’s potential is like. The end result may not be all we hoped for, but it will be the creation of the Afghan people and their unique culture.
Hugh Savage,
Brunswick
Doc: Brunswick a great place to practice medicine
I was notified recently that The Times Record had given me the award for “Best Physician of Mid Coast” 2021. I am not sure how they arrived at this decision as I can think of many other physicians in the Midcoast region that I consider to be equal and better physicians than myself. We can all be thankful for the excellent healthcare available to us in the Midcoast. I have had the privilege of practicing in Brunswick for the past 32 years. It has been a wonderful place to practice. I have met many very fine people over the years and count myself fortunate to have been able to work and live in this community. I suspect that I may have received this honor simply because I have the best patients and the best staff that a physician could hope to have. At least it seems to me that you are some of the kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever met. If anyone deserves an award it is you.
Thank you.
Dr. Timothy Howe,
Harpswell
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