American honor requires keeping our promises to Afghan allies

The U.S. prides itself on the strength of its word — on the solemnity of the promises Americans make to our allies, especially those who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our military forces in times of war. Yet today, we are witnessing a heartbreaking and dangerous betrayal: the failure of the Trump administration to fulfill its commitment to evacuate and protect our Afghan allies who served selflessly beside U.S. troops for nearly two decades.

Thousands of Afghan interpreters, medics, engineers, logisticians and their families — men and women who risked everything to support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan — now live in fear of retaliation by the Taliban. Many have already been hunted, tortured and killed. Their only crime was believing in the ideals of democracy and freedom and trusting America to stand by its word.

This is not just a moral failure. It is also a strategic one. The message we’re sending to the world is that America cannot be relied upon to honor its commitments. That when the fight becomes politically inconvenient or logistically difficult, even our closest allies may be abandoned. Such actions erode global trust, weaken diplomatic partnerships and endanger future military operations where local support is vital.

As a former Army Special Forces combat soldier in Vietnam, I have seen this tragedy before. In 1975, as the U.S. evacuated south Vietnam, we left behind thousands of loyal Montagnards and Vietnamese who had fought alongside us for more than a decade. The reward for their loyalty was brutal: imprisonment, reeducation, camps, torture and often death at the hands of the communist regime. That stain remains a scar on the conscious of our nation.

I cannot help but see the haunting parallels today. Have we learned nothing? Must history repeat itself so cruelly? These Afghan supporters all believed in our promises, in our vision of freedom — and we are turning our backs on them when they need us most.

The Spanish philosopher George Santayana famously warned that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” His words ring ominously true today. Failing to act decisively and compassionately, we are once again betraying not only the people who stood with us in battle, but the very ideals we claim to uphold.

America’s strength has never been just in military might — it lies in our principles, our moral leadership and our willingness to stand by those who stand with us. This moment is a test of our national character. It’s not too late to course correct, but it requires swift and unified action.

We must immediately accelerate and expand efforts to evacuate the remaining Afghan allies and their families. We must cut through the bureaucratic red tape that has kept too many stranded in limbo. And we must provide them with the protection, resettlement and dignity they have earned through their sacrifice.

If we fail to act now, the consequences will be written, not just in history books, but in the blood of those we left behind. We must ask ourselves what kind of nation we wish to be — and whether we are willing to live up to the values we so often espouse.

The world is watching, and so are the ghosts of our past.

Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., was the 17th U.S. surgeon general. He is Laureate Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona.