Afghan War Veterans Reflect on Their Service

What is your most vivid memory?

I have lots of vivid memories. But being able to experience a different landscape and culture was a very positive experience. However, I think the most impactful experience was having to say goodbye to fallen friends and comrades as we placed them on an airplane for the last trip home.

What is something you think all Afghan War veterans might share in common?

It's difficult to put in words, but a commonality of understanding that you walked the same ground and experienced the same difficulties and dangers.

After 30 years of serving my nation in many different capacities and places around the world, I still find service to the nation something that compels me and, I think, compels most people who have served in the military, especially those who have served in dangerous places.

Andrea McClam, 59, of Chicago

Andrea McClam served as the only female member of her crew.

Courtesy Andrea McClam

AARP Audio · Andrea McClam

As the only female on her crew, McClam served as loadmaster between 2003 and 2005, transporting personnel and cargo throughout Afghanistan, the Middle East and even Europe. Her military career supported the U.S. efforts in Operation Desert Storm and the invasion of Panama. She retired from the Air Force in 2009, after 27 years as a senior master sergeant.

How did Afghanistan compare with your previous deployments?

Afghanistan was really different. A lot of my operations were at night, requiring us to stay on the different bases we flew into. My crew and I did everything together, and we were very close. We were like a little unit. I tell people my deployment prepared me for this pandemic because everybody around me complains about being in the house. It’s like I’m deployed.

How did your age and experience prepare you for the mission?

Life experiences prepare you to be in a space where you’re not so anxious about things. You just look at things in a different picture. As a young person, you’re real excited about things that you want to happen. But as a result, you tend to focus more on your fear rather than the particular situation. We all have levels of fear. People ask me all the time, "Were you afraid?" I say, "Not outside the norm. For the most part, I focused on my job and what I had to do to complete my missions." 

What should Americans know about the war?

A lot of times, you talk to people who say they don’t even know why we did this. But it is a history lesson. A little research on the history of our relationships with countries would help people understand why we go to the places that we go and do the work that we do. We helped women gain more rights and spread democracy. But now, all that work that was done is all being taken away.

What is your most vivid memory?

The environment required us to constantly be on high alert in this survival mode mentality. Not doing anything to bring attention to yourself in the night. Stuff like you see in movies. You just got to do what you got to do to stay safe. It was kind of funny because when I first came home, I was still kind of in that mode. I’d look under my car before I’d get in. Doing a lot of stuff that we would do over there. And I was, like, "Oh, wow. I need to really transition to being a civilian again." 

What was it like serving in Afghanistan as a woman?

As Americans, we just take so much for granted. When you go to a place like that, especially as a female, and you see how women aren’t spoken to, it's like they don’t exist. And then here in America, we’re just free. We can do everything.

I was the only female on my crew of six. I once got the opportunity to join an all-female crew, out of Qatar. They kind of snatched us from our crews and put us together to fly this one mission. When we flew that mission, we had this certain pride about ourselves and were really excited that the leadership thought enough of us to fly combat and that we could handle the mission. The few females that I talked to when I was deployed mainly talked about home, because a lot of those ladies were in their early 20s, while I was in my late 40s.

They kind of looked up to me, too, because I am a very spiritual person. So I would always find something to say to encourage them. I told them I have two young sons at home. But I utilized email, Skype and wrote letters. The best thing about being deployed was getting mail.

Tony Vizcarrondo Jr., 57, of Manchester, New Hampshire

Tony Vizcarrondo holds the unit colors (back to camera) and in uniform in 2013.

Courtesy Tony Vizcarrondo

AARP Audio · Tony Vizcarrondo

Vizcarrondo served two deployments in Afghanistan — the first in 2010 and the second as sergeant major in 2012. During the 33 years leading up to his retirement in 2015 from the Marine Corps, half of his 12 deployments were in hostile fire areas, including Beirut in 1984, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War from 2006 to 2008.

How did your age and experience prepare you for the mission?

It put me in direct contact with some of the most remarkable young men and women this nation has to offer. I was able to pull from my earlier service experiences to mentor them as they confronted challenges in-country and stateside. How these marines and sailors performed daily in some of the harshest conditions was genuinely inspirational and followed a long legacy of warfighters that preceded them.

What is your most vivid memory?

There are aspects of Afghanistan that are breathtaking — from the mountain ranges, the wadis [valleys] and the incredible ingenuity of the Afghan people to thrive in the most hostile environments. Then there are also the sandstorms that blot out the sun and the extreme heat and terrain. In particular, while on a route recon in November 2010, we were directly engaged by a hostile force after our lead vehicle hit a large IED [improvised explosive device]. One crew member ended up losing his leg, and another was knocked unconscious, which has had effects post-service. Myself and our Corpsman HM3 [hospital corpsman third class] Paul Gomez made our way to the vehicle, provided basic first aid and evacuated the injured to the medivac site for further treatment. I remember how that marine clutched the collar of my Cammie blouse and looked into my eyes and spoke to me as we extracted him from the destroyed vehicle.

What should Americans know about the war?

War and combat can be extremely complicated in general. With Afghanistan in particular, you might start the day meeting with local tribal leaders, eating and sharing tea. Then on your movement to another location, you might encounter IEDs, recover wounded in action, engage the enemy and have to call in medivacs [helicopters] for your wounded. Then you might move onto another area where you are rebuilding roads, bridges and buildings, or providing medical assistance to the local population, knowing full well that not all those you encounter are friendly to you or the cause.

What is something all Afghan War veterans share in common?

That is a complicated question and would garner all sorts of responses depending on that service member's personal experiences. Many service members maintain a deep and abiding respect and love for their fellow service members that served alongside them. They also share a deep sense of pride in having endured some of the most challenging experiences of their lives while serving alongside one another. Many of us also developed close relationships with some of the locals.

Tom Porter, 53, of Springfield, Virginia

Tom Porter’s military service brought him to the halls of Capitol Hill as a veterans’ advocate.

COURTESY TOM PORTER

AARP Audio · Tom Porter

Porter served as a public affairs officer for the Navy in Kabul from 2010 to 2011, running media operations theater-wide. He was previously deployed to Bahrain in 2007. This year marks the captain’s 25th year as a Navy reservist. Today, he is also executive vice president of government affairs for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

How did being on the ground in Afghanistan compare with previous deployments?

Afghanistan was radically different. Wherever you're deployed in Afghanistan, you don't live in the town — you live on the base or your combat outpost. You don't travel around by yourself. If you're traveling, it's either by convoy, armored vehicles or in helicopters. In Bahrain, I would be out on my own and drive around in my own car.

What should Americans know about the war?

I think we accomplished an enormous amount of good while we were there. I don't speak for every veteran, but my personal concern is that we lose all of that by what's going on right now.

What is your most vivid memory?

My vivid memory was the number of girls that I saw going to school from the beginning of my year there versus the end. It was a noticeable increase in the number of girls going to school and of boys and girls walking together.

What is something you think all Afghan War veterans might share in common?

It will be hard to find one thing that all Afghan War vets share in common, other than the pride in their service. I think if you talk to one vet, you've only talked to one vet. ​​