A Statement from IVMF Founder & Executive Director Dr. Mike Haynie on Afghanistan

Given the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan, the IVMF stands ready to support and listen. Here are some resources and organizations that are offering assistance to those who have volunteered to answer the call of our nation as well as their families. Check back often for updated information as we continue to collaborate with our veteran service organization partners to share needed resources.

The following statement is from Dr. Mike Haynie:

It would be exceedingly arrogant for me to suggest that any words I have to offer would be adequate or appropriate to capture the range of emotions many of you are experiencing now, in response to events in Afghanistan over the past 48 hours. I do, however, feel compelled to make two requests.

First, do not question – for a single second – that the service and sacrifice of those individuals and families who shouldered the weight of this war, for 20 years, didn’t matter.  It mattered beyond measure. It mattered for a generation of Afghan women and girls, who saw the inside of a classroom for the first time. It mattered for the countless members across Afghan society, who were no longer disenfranchised at the ballot box.  It mattered because, as Admiral (ret.) Stavridis wrote earlier today, those who served in Afghanistan played a pivotal role in preventing an attack on our homeland for the past twenty years. All that matters in ways that, unfortunately, many of your fellow citizens are not empowered to understand.

My second request is about you, and those around you who might be struggling to make sense of the events unfolding in Afghanistan. It is critical you take care of yourselves, take care of your families, and that if you need help and support – you ask for it. And further, if you’re able, check on your buddy as well. Offer support, resources, or maybe just listen.

What we are witnessing is unprecedented, made more frustrating because these events are beyond our individual ability to impact or control. What we can impact, and what we can control, is the care and grace and empathy we demonstrate toward each other at this moment; and keeping the Afghan people in our thoughts and providing support where possible.

Resources