Should we leave Afghanistan completely? If we haven’t established a free, self-sustaining nation in 20 years, is it likely we ever will?

Or should we stay? The 20 years of blood and sweat can’t be for nothing.

Or should we just keep Bagram as a safe airbase, so we can return in force if needed? Oh wait, we already abandoned Bagram.

Some problems don’t have good solutions. They only have bad solutions and worse solutions.

In the movie “12 Strong,” the anti-Taliban resistance leader tells the young American officer: “If you leave we will call you cowards. If you stay we will call you occupiers.” That sums thing up nicely. We stayed 20 years, then we left. So they can call us both occupiers and cowards.

Some services are so great that one can repay them only with ingratitude. − Alexandre Dumas

We saved the Europeans twice – are they grateful? They drive by American and British military cemeteries without even noticing. Why would we expect Afghans to be different?

All we can do is not follow this bad example. We must take care of the Afghans who helped us, and their families, or they will be tortured and killed by the Taliban. And we surely must do all we can to care for our veterans, and their families. We owe them a debt we can never repay, but we can try harder.

•