THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011
PAGE 17.
Even with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 1.3 million troops will remain deployed around the globe.
Kyle Brown, the president of KU's Collegiate Veterans Association, served in Afghanistan once already and will return next year regardless of the troop withdrawals.
According to the Department of Defense, 70,700 troops will remain in Afghanistan following the withdrawals. Scott Boland, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a member of the Collegiate Veterans Association, served in Afghanistan in 2002.
"There will be less families at home worrying about loved ones overseas but there are still families sitting at home worrying and there always will be," Razak said.
Boland, a senior from Shawnee, understands the nation's desire to exit Afghanistan but worries a premature exit will damage America's legacy in the Middle East.
Boland, who was a 20-year-old Pfc. while in Afghanistan, played a part in this chapter of American history, however small, he takes pride in his legacy.
"You want it to turn out well in the end. How Afghanistan is remembered reflects on me; I was there," Boland said.
All three men stressed the importance of remembering Americans serving overseas. A thank you or an American flag waving in the sky meansa lot to Clark.
"My heart swells every time someone stops me in the Hyvee when I'm in uniform to say thank you," Clark said.
Razak, treasurer for the Collegiate Veterans Association, echoed that sentiment.
"You say thank you to someone who opens a door for you. What do you say to someone who has risked their life or has lost a limb? Thank you is all you can say and it is enough."
TOTAL TROOPS
UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES: 1,137,716
EUROPE: 79,940
FORMER SOVIET UNION: 162
EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC: 44,537
NORTH AFRICA, NEAR EAST, AND SOUTH ASIA: 5,785
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: 1,731
WESTERN HEMISPHERE: 1,958
TOTAL WORLDWIDE: 1,429,367
TOTAL IN/AROUND AFGHANISTAN AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2010:
103,700 (Includes Deployed Reserve/National Guard)
— Department of Defense
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Scott Boland (left) and Aaron Razak (right) are two current students at the University of Kansas who have both served overseas while in the military.
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