I have been accused of being a baby killer.
I have been called a puppet of my Government sent to invade another country and do the dirty work on the ground.
I've been assured that the work that my teams and I did was a waste of time and that the lives we lost was karma for being in another country.
The list of accusations and verbal abuse and simple ignorance goes on and on...however I don't lose any sleep about the opinions of others that haven't been in my boots, yet shout the loudest about war being unjust and morally wrong etc.
Regardless of what the official Government title or role of each battlegroup was, my job was to look after my mates to the best of my ability, along with the Afghani soldiers and security forces we were mentoring to provide stability in their own country once we left.
Some of these soldiers had experienced life under the Taliban regime. We fought side by side with them, and we earned their respect, as they did ours. They knew we would one day leave the country, and the weight of the country would be left on their shoulders.
We also worked with soldiers whom had not experienced the Taliban regime. They were lazy. They were high all the time. They ran at the first sign of trouble, and left us on our own to fight our way out of sticky situations. They expected us to be there to save their arses, and acted accordingly. We didn't trust them.
Unfortunately, the majority of the soldiers we worked with were the latter, so it's no surprise to see the rapid decline of security forces in Afghanistan recently, with the Taliban strolling back into power.
A lot of people that had boots on the ground are struggling with the fact that Afghanistan was retaken so easily, after 20 years, countless lives and injuries/casualties, and trillions of dollars spent trying to build a better future for the local people.
If you're in that position, rest assured that your contribution showed a generation of Afghanis what life could be like, and hopefully, inspires the resistance to rise up and crush the Taliban's reign of terror that has flared up across the country once again.
I have no doubt that the atrocities that will be shared to the world in the coming weeks and months will have people calling for us to go back in and do something. Undoubtedly, these will be the same people that were calling for us to leave...
The recent pictures and videos of civilians desperately trying to escape should paint a picture as to how terrified people are of the Taliban, and the grim future that most Afghani's will likely face.
My thoughts are with my Afghani brothers who stood
Shaun Kober is a Mindset & Performance Specialist, with a unique skillset forged in the trenches, through the various stages of life.
"I shouldn’t be in the position I am right now."
The odds were stacked against me:
● Poor family on welfare, eldest of 6 kids, parents didn’t work, abusive step-dad, no electricity or running water for a 6 years period of my life
● Caught up with the wrong crowd, stealing, drugs, skipping school
● At 14 years old, I sat on a bus for 3 days with $50 in my pocket, to travel to the next State over West, to begin a new life in the workforce - 2000
14 - 20: I grew up and learned how to become a man through work and rugby
20 - 26: I lived, trained and fought as a professional soldier, at a high level
26 - 32: I became a personal trainer, after failing in my pursuit to become a firefighter
32 - 38: I worked with, and won world titles with some of the best athletes on the planet, as their strength and conditioning coach
38+: The next evolution begins
#coachedbykobes
#livetrainperform
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Live Life To The Fullest.
Train To Your Potential.
Perform At Your Best!
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