The Guilford Free Library is presenting a symposium about America’s presence and withdrawal from Afghanistan, which will include a number of panelists well-versed and experienced with this deeply complex issue. This Veteran’s Day event is held in person at the library on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and is open to all registered attendees.

The library invited an impressive roster of panelists. All are veterans who served in either Iraq and or Afghanistan and they will bring their unique experiences about these conflicts to Guilford residents. This panel discussion will focus on the impact these wars have had on Afghanis, Iraqis, and Americans.

The event is titled Veterans Day Panel Discussion: Looking Back at 20 years in the Global War on Terror: Perspectives from Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Programming Librarian Lauretta Lyons, some of the topics and questions for the panelists will include:

• Looking back on the wars—what were we doing there and what difference did it make?

• The withdrawal from Iraq in 2012 is linked to the rise of ISIS, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan precipitated a swift Taliban takeover. Was that surprising, or not, based on your time there?

• How has America changed as a result of the wars

• What impact has deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan had on your development as a human?

Panelist and organizer Adrian Bonenberger, a decorated Connecticut veteran who served in Afghanistan as an airborne Ranger and who has written for a number of publications including the New York Times and the Washington Post, said that for a town like Guilford, which has lost members of the community to this war, this event will resonate.

“The military feels like a national or international question until someone’s son or daughter serves. Every town in the U.S. ought to be thinking critically about its support for these wars—how we allowed ourselves to spend 20 years in another country with essentially nothing to show for it,” said Bonenberger.

Among the issues that will be addressed is women’s rights. Bonenberger said this issue is one of which many Americans may have a misconception.

“There has been a lot of reporting about the impact we had in Afghanistan when it came to women’s rights, and liberalism in general. That impact was massively overstated. While our presence didn’t damage women’s rights, and we tried to advance that and similar causes when possible, it was never the goal of the military (or a military capability) to create those types of changes in Afghan society,” said Boneneberger. “I think a lot of people might think in the back of their heads that a guy or gal in a U.S. military uniform equals more or better women’s rights, and that’s a weird fiction that we should probably discard.”

Lyons said this presentation will be useful for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the issues from people who witnessed the conflict and the complicated problems firsthand.

“This Veterans Day panel discussion provides a chance for library patrons to hear directly from Connecticut veterans about their experiences serving in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan and the lasting impact of that service,” Lyons said. “I’m grateful to Adrian Bonenberger, author of the memoir Afghan Post, for bringing this group of writer/veterans together to the library. Connecting library patrons to books and writers tackling significant, timely issues is an important part of what we offer...I think library patrons will be anxious to hear their perspectives.”

According to Bonenberger, he still remains hopeful but cautious about the future of Afghanistan.

“We were in Afghanistan for 20 years, and it was a lot safer and more prosperous than it likely would have been if the Taliban had been left in charge. If nothing else, I hope we’ve left the country with two decades worth of education and infrastructure investment, so that they can have a better future,” Bonenberger said.

Other scheduled panelists include:

Teresa Fazio, a former commissioned officer of the U.S. Marines who served in Iraq and has written for the New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, and The Nation, among others.

Patrick Mondaca, who served in Iraq as a military police sergeant with the Connecticut Army National Guard. He has received several awards for his writing and is the author of Adjustment Disorder: A Collection of Maladjusted Essays.

Matt Ufford is a decorated former commissioned officer in the U.S. Marines who served in Iraq in the thick of the invasion. He also has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times and Vox Media.

For more information and to register, visit the Guilford Free Library website www.guilfordfreelibrary.org. Currently the event is scheduled to be in person, but the constantly changing pandemic protocols require some fluidity of the part of the hosts. For more information, call 203-453-8282.