That is a crucial question for those of us who served in Afghanistan.
It's a very personal answer that we have to give as we answer the question of whether it was it worth it. Was our sacrifice in that country worth it?
When I talk to our members it's a very emotional time because many of us lost friends, colleagues and subordinates in that country. We did everything that you, the elected officials of this country, asked us to do. We gave that country 20 years to make it a better place. We saw progress on the ground. We saw a generation of Afghans educated and we saw them connected to the outside world.
We poured our heart and soul into that country, so it's painful to see what has happened. Everyone one of us, as I mentioned, has a personal question to answer: Was it worth it?