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‘Was this all for naught?’: Local veterans react to Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan

BOSTON — As the world watches on in disbelief, local veterans who served deployments in Afghanistan are heartbroken to see the Taliban take control of the country.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said veteran Marc Silvestri, of Revere. “I was all for the withdrawal never expecting the brazenness and speed at which the Taliban would be able to take the country.”

Silvestri was wounded while deployed in Afghanistan in 2009. He’s a Purple Heart recipient who was also awarded the Bronze Star with valor.

“I think the timing and the speed at which we withdrew, something that should’ve been considered the time of year,” said Silvestri. “I don’t know if the Taliban would’ve moved as fast in the winter months.”

Silvestri is worried about Gold Star Families whose loved ones died in the 20-year war in Afghanistan -- some who may feel their sacrifice was for nothing.

“Was this all for naught?” said Silvestri. “These guys laid their lives on the line and never had the opportunity to come home, and we’re just giving this country away. That’s how a lot of people are feeling.”

Magoon said he wants those families to know their sacrifices were not made in vain.

“We know the changes we’ve made, we ended up doing what we intended to do after the attacks of 9/11, and that was kill Bin Laden,” Magoon said. “We did make change, we did make some positive changes to that country, and people know that.”

Monday at 7:15 p.m., Massachusetts Fallen Heroes is holding a candlelight vigil at the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston’s Seaport district.

“It’s definitely been a demoralizing weekend I think for veterans who’ve been there,” Magoon said. “We decided we needed to do something that can actually bring them together. We’ll keep the politics out of it and the blame game. We want people to know that we’re here to support one another and we’re not going anywhere.”