LA CROSSE, Wis. — Two combat veterans from Wisconsin, both who have sought public office as Republicans, spoke out Thursday about the crisis in Afghanistan and the refugees who could be headed to Fort McCoy amid the fallout.
Derrick Van Orden, who lost to Democratic Rep. Ron Kind in 2020, and Jason Church, who ran for the Republican nomination for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in 2020, both served combat duty in Afghanistan.
In 2012, Church and nine other members of his platoon were involved in an IED explosion. The blast resulted in the amputation of both of his legs below the knee. The scenes unfolding in Afghanistan right now have been troubling to watch for Church.
“To see what's happening on the television right now rocks me to the core,” Church said.
Church told reporters Thursday that Wisconsinites need to embrace the Afghan refugees who helped the U.S. and could be housed temporarily at Fort McCoy.
“There are people that will be coming into this community down the road from here,” Church said. “They fought for their country. They did it believing in us, on our word, on our integrity as a nation, and that to me goes far beyond politics. We need to embrace them. The ones that come here that have fought for their country, that love their country and were betrayed by the actions I'm seeing on TV today. You owe it to them, and you owe it to us, all of us, who had bled over there, who had seen their brothers and sisters in arms die. We all owe it to them and us.”
2022 hopeful Derrick Van Orden, who lives in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District where Fort McCoy is located, acknowledged a debt to refugees but raised concerns.
“The United States of America is remarkably less secure now than it was four days ago,” Van Orden said.
Van Orden said he is not confident the Biden administration will do proper screening and called the decision to conduct operations out of Kabul a costly political decision by the State Department.
“He's [Biden] been wrong every single time month after month after month after month,” Van Orden said. “Who here can honestly say that that panicked retreat, the exfiltration from the airfield in Kabul, was a flawlessly executed operation?”
Van Orden believes the Biden administration didn't want the optics of leaving from Kabul and conducting operations out of Bagram Airfield, which he said could end up costing tens of thousands of lives.
“When you start drawing down troops, the last thing you should do is give away the largest hub that you could possibly secure with the greatest capacity for air movement,” Van Orden said. “The State Department of the United States made a decision, a political decision, in conjunction with the rest of the Biden administration, to collapse from Bagram Airfield down to Kabul because they didn't want it to look bad. That's inexcusable, it's unconscionable, it's the definition of incompetence.”
With Afghan refugees who are applying for Special Immigrant Visas expected to be housed at Fort McCoy, Van Orden said there must still be a thorough vetting process.
“They've saved my life, they've saved Jason's life, and countless men and women that we served with, we owe them that debt, but we also have to do this responsibly,” Van Orden said. “I have no confidence in the Biden administration's capability of properly screening everyone that is coming from Afghanistan.”
Democratic State Sen. Brad Pfaff, whose district includes Fort McCoy, said he is ready to assist state, local, and federal officials however he can.
“As Fort McCoy prepares to host Afghan refugees, my office has been in contact with the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, the Office of the Governor, and Wisconsin Emergency Management to ensure that this process keeps our local communities safe and protects everyone involved,” State Sen. Pfaff said in a statement. “Fort McCoy is a best-in-class military facility commanded by dedicated citizen-soldiers. I have every confidence in their ability to execute this humanitarian mission safely and smoothly.”
Meanwhile, the Biden administration said it's focused on the safe evacuation of as many people as possible by the self-imposed August 31st deadline.
"Our focus right now, there has been no decision to change the deadline, and we are focused on doing everything we can inside that deadline to move as many people out as possible,” Pentagon Press Secretary Josh Kirby said.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin applauded the efforts of the Biden administration while also calling out Republicans for their criticism of the president.
“The scenes unfolding in Afghanistan are painful and gut-wrenching; and in this time, we should all treat each other with empathy and compassion,” Devin Remiker, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Interim Executive Director, said in a statement. “Hate and bigotry have no place in Wisconsin and Republicans like Derrick Van Orden and Tom Tiffany are trying to divide us when we should be coming together. That’s not leadership, that’s cowardice.”
Remiker went on to call for empathy from Wisconsinites when refugees do arrive.
“Over the next few weeks, as many Afghans who served alongside our soldiers seek refuge here and the brave Wisconsinites who served our country return home, we should be ready to welcome every single person with patience and kindness, regardless of race or immigration status,” Remiker said. “President Biden is leading by example to speak out for basic human rights, promote regional diplomacy, and provide humanitarian aid. We’re proud of his example, and offer our support to our veterans, diplomats, humanitarian workers, and refugees.”