Dana - 2007: Afghanistan

The Forgotten War in Afghanistan

Driving along the 101 Highway near San Francisco, I saw some bold chalk writing inscribed in a concrete wall. It read, “Osama Bin Forgotten”. The clever phrase sums up the present-day American sentiment on the war in Afghanistan and the search for Osama. As the slogan indicates, they have been forgotten. Not in the sense that United States and NATO troops simply stopped fighting the war and returned home one day, stopped looking for Bin Laden. No. Far from it. The war is still escalating; 2006 held the highest death toll in Afghanistan since 2001, and troops are still out there searching for the infamous terrorist.

 The war has been forgotten in the sense that the media stopped reporting it. The public has forgotten it. When was the last time it was mentioned on the new channels? You would have to be quite the CNN fanatic to catch a word or to, perhaps only in reference, to “Afghanistan” or “Taliban”.

I can think of a few reasons why the war has remained out of the news and the minds of Americans for so long. The media only covers one major war at a time. The American public cannot handle more than that; it would confuse them. Therefore the stations chose to focus their reporting attention on Iraq, a newer, fresher war. While it used to be “Osama” this and “Osama” that, now it is “Baghdad” this and “Hussein” that. 

More important than the media’s wishes, however, are those of the government. I think they would rather the public not be aware of the current situation in Afghanistan. President Bush officially declared victory over the Taliban in December, 2001. Hmm. Not exactly a victory. The Taliban is still fighting hard, and have avoided defeat by the NATO and Afghan Northern Alliance troops for more than five years. And as for Bin Laden, he’s off in a cave on the Afghan-Pakistani border. The man who caused so much grief, unsettlement, and sparked the US’s War on Terror- living in a cave. I think the government would soon have us forget about this, which is what many have, despite a few San Francisco-bound drivers lucky enough to come across the  “Osama Bin Forgotten” sign on the side of the road.

The slogan served its intended purpose in reminding me about the war (though I’m a little iffy about the rhyming replacement of “Laden” with “forgotten”. Perhaps “Osama Been Hiding” would do the job better, though this would only work with a strong New York accent). After seeing the phrase, I was interested in the war’s current status, but mostly in Osama, whose name brought back a sense of nostalgia. That sounds odd, in reference to the man who was responsible for the September 11 attacks, the most widely felt tragedies of the new millennium. No, the word Osama brings back memories of 2001, when I was in Australia, of all places, the day that the towers fell.  

I think that the events of 9/11 will have the same effect on my generation as the Kennedy Assassination had on my parents’. They, along with all their friends, seem to remember exactly where they were, and what they were doing, the day that their beloved president was killed. (No small feat, coming from my father, who has difficulty remembering where his glasses are.) Similarly, members of my age group will grow up and reminisce as to what they were doing when the World Trade Centers collapsed. I happened to be in Australia.

 I was living on the Gold Coast of Queensland, attending a highly regarded private school. That meant knee-high socks, shined black shoes, a light blue, buttoned shirt, short shorts with a belt, and a fancy rimmed hat called an Akubra (Aussies take their uniforms seriously). On the day of 9/11, I went to school as usual, and the place was buzzing. There was excitement in the air. Something big had happened in America. (Then, the United States fascinated Australians, who were keen on all the western trends, and were quick to giggle at my California accent. I’m not sure the same is true today.) Our teacher sat us down and explained the events. “This is big.” I remember him saying. He sketched the two towers on the whiteboard, and reenacted the plane crashes with an eraser. Throughout the day, kids approached me, expressing their concerns and condolences. “Is your family okay?”

 When I returned home, my father had a serious expression. “You will remember this day for the rest of your life.” He said. I think I will. 

Though we may have forgotten about the war in Afghanistan, we will never forget about September 11, 2001.