So will senior military leaders get charged when they retire for the Billions of dollars of expensive, advanced military gear left in the hands of the Taliban?
Watch:
Forcing Soldiers to Pay for Equipment Left in Afghanistan (The Federalist, 22 NOV 23)
On Monday, the X account known as “Libs of Tiktok” posted a viral video from an alleged U.S. Army soldier with the last name “Michael,” who in his now-unavailable post lamented the current state of the U.S. armed forces.
While describing his experiences leaving the service after four years on active duty, Michael claimed the military is forcing him to pay for equipment he was ordered to leave in Afghanistan during the Biden-led U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Here’s what allegedly happened, as summarized by Michael.
“Two years ago, my unit deployed to Afghanistan for the Afghanistan withdrawal. We spent a few weeks over there. It was hectic, it was chaotic, it was disgusting, and it made me very disappointed in our government.
Today, I’m reminded of how disappointed I am in our government.
Go to turn in my gear, they want to charge me 500 to a thousand dollars for gear that I was ordered to leave in Afghanistan two years ago.
Because as the last two birds were sitting on the tarmac ready to leave, there wasn’t any room for extra gear, extra weight.
Therefore, we were told to leave it. Some lower enlisted dudes, including myself, were like, ‘No, this stuff is expensive, I’m not leaving this, I’m gonna get charged for this when it comes time to leave.’
[They told us,] ‘Don’t worry, we’re gonna catch you on the back end.’”
According to Michael, the service’s purported pledge to cover the cost of the equipment was never fulfilled.
Toward the end of the video, Michael also showed what appears to be a document from the military dated Nov. 20, 2023, with charges totaling more than $3,500.
“This administration’s last priority is the American people, and inside of the American people, their last priority is their soldiers, their Marines, their airmen, [and] their Navy,” Michael said. “I thought today was gonna be bittersweet getting out [of the Army], but … I’m very, very excited to stop serving my government and just getting started serving my country.”
U.S. Army Central did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on the validity of Michael’s allegations. USARCENT also did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment, if Michael’s allegations are true, on why such a policy was implemented and who authorized the policy.
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