Taliban fighters stand guard on the back of vehicle with a machine gun in front of main gate leading to Afghan presidential palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. The U.S. military has taken over Afghanistan's airspace as it struggles to manage a chaotic evacuation after the Taliban rolled into the capital.

As Taliban forces took the capital city of Kabul and the situation deteriorates in Afghanistan, some veterans in Butler County who served in the region are feeling discouraged and frustrated.

“I'm conflicted in this, because obviously after two decades worth of being there, I think most of us agree that at some point soon that this conflict should have come to an end, at least as far as American involvement was concerned,” said Jondavid Longo, Mayor of Slippery Rock. Longo served in Afghanistan as a Marine during Operation Enduring Freedom. “I'm conflicted that the withdrawal had occurred so quickly, and that it seems to have been totally bungled,” he said. “I don't quite understand how you can pull out so quickly and carelessly.”

Longo feels that the withdrawal was irresponsible.

“We let down those people, and we didn't follow through with a plan that had been well written out before this new administration took office,” he said.

However, not all veterans have gathered immediate reactions to the crisis. John Cyprian, director of Veteran Services for Butler County, and Mary Chitwood, founder and executive director of Robin's Home, which supports women veterans, both said that it may be too early to assess how the developments overseas will affect veterans in the area.

“Half the community is still trying to absorb what actually happened over there. To assess what the need is for veterans over here, it's a little early,” Cyprian said.

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