Producers’ Pick | Lt. Col. Scott Mann: Honoring a promise in Afghanistan

Boy Sturgis got mad.

If you want your oxidation you probably see him. Scott woke next run will you doing before the pull out of Afghanistan. I was work well.

I have a leadership company that I teach human connection skills I learned to Greenbrae, but also we were about to launch our play last out elegy of a Green Beret that I wrote and and performed to complete my midlife crisis but we were launching it on Amazon prime.

We were getting ready to put it out.

We had worked for years on this thing we tour the country with it is a stage play as a stage play and the whole idea was to help Americans understand the cost of modern war and the impact on our families and so we used veterans to tell the story from the state. Very powerful play covert shut it down.

So we turn it into a film or get rid logic and you can relaunch it and then all of a sudden you start seeing this Afghanistan deal caught during the Trump years, but to me, especially to do my research is no way would've unfolded like this, Brian.

I got that agreement but having said that, when you start realizing that the African armies. I can understand that that they got Hanni might not be the leader we thought were you thinking I was hearing from the Psalm and other friends of mine who is Tom Masson was a Afghan commando and Afghan special forces in CO that I'd known since 2010 who was in duress in Afghanistan. He was trying to get out being hunted by the Taliban and receiving text messages and he started contacting me in early summer saying that things are falling apart province after province was falling like dominoes and he said I think the country's gonna flip in a month and he was like two days off so a lot of us in the SF community. The special ops community. We were already looking at this thing going.

It's going to fall. It's going to fall and we were mobilizing trying to get involved with our partners back a little bit when did you get involved in in the Armed Forces. I joined the Army in 1991 I always I grew up in a logging town in Mount Arkansas and met a Green Beret when I was 14 and when I met that guy I knew right then that's what I was going to do to join I did when, how soon to you were special forces.

I took about five years.

It's about a five year weight you have to. They don't have as an officer right you have to be a first lieutenant promotable so I did a tour of duty done in Panama law and then when I was eligible to try out.

It was 1995 was about a five year wait a minute, but a 18 month pipeline to go through that to get your Greenbrae will your 9/11.

I was actually Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and seven special forces group and on my way to Fort Pickett, Virginia, when the towers were hit. We did no U-turn in the medium and went and watched the rest of it at group headquarters and we all knew as a special forces regiment that our lives are changed forever and waved with as you go well first of all Mike my Ranger buddy Cliff was killed in the Pentagon on 9/11.

He was my first friend to lose in the war out of 23 and Italy hit me right out of the gate and but seventh group was actually held and strategic reserve for the first couple of years.

The war for group 1 and first and third and seventh grade finally got the nod in 04. So my first deployment in Afghanistan of several was started in 045 imu situation on the ground that point.

At that point it was, you know, last was really going on. The rack was already going on. It was in in in and really was the weight of effort. The United States at that point, the bulk of the you know the war assets in an and material was there. Afghanistan was a backwater but it was certainly it had it had subsided somewhat.

But what we saw when I got there in 04 was distilled Afghan army was fledgling was just getting started.

There had not been an Afghan army since like 1978 and so we were working with mostly malicious and and local groups, but the Afghan army was just getting underway, and that's what I found myself doing in 04 was helping them stand up as they respond initially, they were not a great fighting force at all.

In fact I would say that the general purpose Afghan army in the general-purpose police force were a paper tiger morale was terrible. Desertions were terrible. They were in the lot of corruption within the officer corps was too big. We tried to build the military. This is were we made a lot of mistakes in Afghanistan across all the administrations we try to build an army in our image, we try to build a western army and they were nowhere near capable of that, and date they couldn't handle the type of requirements that it takes to sustain army like that in to give you an example like they they require precision fires, platforms, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and loose all contractor heavy pulled all the contractors out in June, with no warning in the Army just collapsed. Right now, that was crazy.

They said if we if we kept some semblance. They are the NATO was willing to stay yet and they didn't leave they had to find out through news reports item through direct contact believing that we burned partnerships on so many levels with this thing. But, but you think about 20 years. Really, Brian starting in 2008, the Afghan artistry with the special forces in the special ops community really started putting its effort into building partner capacity with Afghan special operators commando special forces your general Frank McKenzie Houston County medical 40.

We believe that Kabul would fall if we pull out our troops.

We were just a question of when, or fall and we been saying that really since the fall of the year before that event. A consistent position of Central command. Our subordinates in Afghanistan that to if we leave there in the collapse and we left, and they did would would you think when you hear that what aggravates me because I know that there were several general officers that gave that warning you know that they blaming Miller, who quit rather than preside over Miller McKenzie. I think Millie even gave the warnings keno candidly but but they were not heated at all and the other thing, though, that kinda bothers me about that whole thing is Dennis is just me personally is. I would love to have seen somebody put their stars on the table. As a result of that anyway.

Got 34 years and man.

What better way to make a stand for the military community rather than in a like those kinds of comments are one year later, I mean throw it on the table and take a stand and and and maybe that might just push this back right Fox News contrasts network Janice Dean Fox news senior meteorologist. Be sure to subscribe to the chanting podcast@foxnewspodcast.com or wherever you listen to your podcast and don't forget to spread the sunshine here. Here's more from McKenzie about what went into that decision to stay or go. 47. So, in your opinion, was the withdrawal a mistake.

I advised against withdrawing my recommendation and my opinion and remain so today was we had the opportunity to remain in the country with a small force. I realize that Caliban could very well chosen to attack us, but I do not believe based on the intelligence I was reading at the time that we would that we would've been forced to have more forces in order to maintain this in or 2500 force level Afghanistan. We are couple that force level with an aggressive diplomatic campaign against the Taliban and probably more aggressive than the Delhi agreement in those negotiations, so would have been a holy government effort remains my position that we have the opportunity to study the Afghanistan government of Afghanistan running and when he didn't. He stayed and he presided over the collapse right McKenzie get to call you want to keep you in a Kabul is now empty. You want to take Kabul would you want me to from Al Barter and Al Barnard was told we just want the airport that was at decision is terrible.

I mean first of all the that the way in which this went down and we had other on the column a pots but the basically the dirt there large bases that that could've facilitated a much more deliberate withdrawal bargain Air Force Base, Kandahar Air Force Base and and we just gave those up, but then also to just give up Kabul and then try to defend a little postage stamp lot like H Kia just friend for a noncombatant evacuation it was. It was a recipe for disaster was you was with booze. The reality on the ground. How many guys and many families. We look at a get out and when did you realize you have to do it yourself. I don't think any of us never a lot of volunteer efforts underway. None of us knew the the true magnitude of the problem. What we knew.

Here's what we knew Brian.

We knew that these special operators who we had helped frame the commandos, the special forces the KKK these amazing operators were our best bet to keep Al Qaeda and Isis at bay for the long term, and we were about to just turn them over. So for all of us. It was how do we just keep them alive because surely the governments going to take this over will just hand them over to the government and they'll take it, but they left the site did the embassy just let Dave that everyone vacated up the new embassy was at actually at H Kia not talk about that in the book.

It was actually in a former CIA bar inside the inside the airfield but but our thought was all right were just we know who they are. We know where they are and they trust us, the commandos, the special forces were to keep them safe working try to move them to certain points on the gate will hand them off to the 82nd to the Marines and then surely at some point.

Special operations will come take them from us and we can hand them over, but he never gave a second, will the 82nd and that Marines know they were all pulling security are around the perimeter. How many troops today get in there in a matter of weeks. It was you but it was a couple thousand I think was that I totally was a small it was a small contingent was enough to hold the airfield.

But remember, they were held back. They were not allowed to push beyond the perimeter. So the recovery of these high value at risk if you guys it was up it was up to them to move themselves.

They are guided by these volunteer groups and it worked.

But the.

The sad part about it was we were only able to facilitate a fraction of those who really should have been. I think somewhere around five, 700 702 announcing that's amazing. When you feel you do more more was coming in a moment's book is now out operation pineapple express the incredible story of a group of Americans who undertook one last mission and honor to promise in Afghanistan. My words because the government didn't is present buying chose not to learning something new every day, Brian kill me show if you're interested in it. Brian is talking about as you're with Brian kill me were to do everything in our power all Americans out and our allies. Does that mean troops will stay beyond August 31 if necessary depends on where we are and whether we can get these numbers off to 5 to 7008 coming out. If that's the case will be available via does a guy like 10 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now right and are you committed to making sure that the troop stay until every American who wants to be out is out.

Yes, a better Afghan allies does the commitment hold for them as well. Commitment holes to get everyone out that fact we can get out and run it should come out, and that's the object that's were doing. Now that's the path Ron I think will get. So he's totally did not tell the truth.

He left anyway and he said well I never had a complete list of who zip is a never reported to the embassy when they went to Afghanistan. Scott man here, author of operation pineapple express just chronicles what he did putting together a group of veterans to help get our Afghan allies and Americans out of Afghanistan is present buying would your reaction to that exchange was just so hard to listen to and it just I think it is conjures up so many moral injuries that so many in the veteran community feel. I mean first of all, for American citizens.

It turns out there were a lot more of them behind enemy lines than that was talked about, but also for our Afghan commandos in the special forces. I'll take this Brian minister has seen a softy was the minister for women's affairs. She was the most hunted woman in Afghanistan right she was on the run State Department wouldn't get her out, they would not open the gates for her.

This is the minister for women's affairs who is being hunted by the Taliban for standing up for women's rights. She ended up coming to the pineapple express waiting through an open sewage canal with her family and pulled through a 4 foot hole in the fence by the 82nd airborne first Sgt. That's how she escaped Afghanistan the most hunted woman in Afghanistan. So where was all of the women's advocacy during that moment where they now wants to get in where they now and the thing is, so you had a State Department Embassy that was built like a fortress. I wasn't there but you were. I guess that the embassy is unbelievable in Afghanistan and they just abandon it right away I guess is a fear of to be another around hostage situation so they left that all that area and their paperwork to grind it up so do you believe this is the state to part the art that the State Department author. This evacuation I believe that the displacement from the State Department and other buildings like that was was part of the Neo, there was always this plan to collapse on the airport right. I don't think that was the right play. I think we should've should've thought to hold Kabul in a more expansive way because here's the thing we could not recover the American citizens. We could not recover the green card holders.

We could not recover the at risk Afghans because we run a soul defensive part' airfield and we lost momentum we lost the initiative right and how music planes ended up leaving Afghanistan empty. I don't know the number of that. Another a lot and then I also know that like you know it's called the most successful airlift in American history. And here's where I have a problem with that.

I believe the US forces that went into H Kia and did what they did are to be commended sure they did they did yeoman's work, but that the setting of the end of the hundred thousand plus that came out only a fraction like lot but maybe 1% were the SI special immigration visas. The at risk Afghans. The rest were not.

And so it was, that's where I I have a real problem with how this went down Scott man here is the one of the founders operation pineapple express.

You need to third countries to cooperate.

Getting planes in the get people out. And you couldn't get the State Department or an ambassador to pick up the phone today what he can do to accept these American allies and Americans it's it's it's really been frustrating at least from my vantage point on the level of support with you know, not just the State Department DoD in terms of getting these at risk allies out now. Some groups have had more success than others, but what I will tell you is that this private public partnership that really is what this was. These were private groups working with the government really did a heavy lift to present responsibly. These highly vetted individuals to me. The government has not really acknowledged the role of these groups. Even to this day it's his, and now one year from today. Are you surprised so little has been mentioned about this withdrawal. I was talking to Zach, one of our pineapple conductors and he said that this anniversary is actually harder than the actual collapse because it just feels like no one has done anything.

73% of our veterans feel betrayed 67% feel humiliated because of this withdrawal and they shouldn't be because they fought so brilliantly and adapted to a very complex battlefield for 4 to 20 years. Give people a chance at a good life. Operation pineapple express to great things go and think of Lieut. Col. Scott man's book Scott is great talking to Becky Brian right from Fox News time just network subscribe and listen to the trade County line just former federal prosecutor and four term US Congressman from South Carolina brings you a one-of-a-kind punch asked subscribing.

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