Thinking about Afghanistan again

Before I met Elizabeth Woods, I didn’t give much thought to the war in Afghanistan. This despite the fact that I had a personal interest in Afghanistan. I wrote my master’s thesis on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. I was studying then at the University of Kent in England. My classmates came from Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Greece and beyond. We had passionate discussions about Afghanistan and the fate of the world.

But now, like so many Americans, I’m caught up in my own insular life, preoccupied with the economy, the soccer carpool, what’s for dinner.

We are not often reminded of this war the way my parents’ generation was during World War II, or my generation during Vietnam. I read somewhere that this time, America is not at war, only the military is.
Elizabeth Woods helped open my eyes to Afghanistan, the way her husband Brian opened hers. She told me that falling in love with him changed her, and changed how she thought about the military and about war.

As her story unfolds over the next week, I plan to share some behind-the-scene moments with Elizabeth. I hope you will share your stories, too. More than 1,300 Americans have died in the war in Afghanistan. Half of the troops who were killed, according to estimates, were married.

Has the war in Afghanistan touched your life? Do you think much about it?