20TH YEAR. IT'S DUBBED
AMERICA'S FOREVER WAR. NOW. PARENTS WHO DEPLOYED TO
AFGHANISTAN AFTER 9.11 WASHING THEIR CHILDREN FIGHT IN THE
SAME WAR. NBC'S CORRESPONDENT SARAH HARMAN JOINS US NOW WITH
MORE FROM THOSE FAMILIES. SARAH, GOOD MORNING.
>> LINDSEY. GOOD MORNING. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT
AFGHANISTAN AS MUCH AS WE USED TO. BUT 19 YEARS AFTER THE
FIRST U.S. TROOPS DEPLOYED THERE. THE WAR IS STILL
ONGOING IN SOME CASES PARENTS WHO SIGNED UP AND ENLISTED
RIGHT AFTER 9.11 ARE NOW WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN BE
SENT TO AFGHANISTAN IN SOME CASES LINDSAY EVEN GOING TO
THE SAME BASES. >> AMERICA HAS BEEN IN
AFGHANISTAN A LONG TIME. >> ON MY ORDERS. THE UNITED
STATES MILITARY HAS BEGUN STRIKES AGAINST AL QAEDA
TERRORIST TRAINING CAMPS. >> OUR NATION'S LONGEST WAR IS
NOW IN ITS 20TH YEAR. A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE WAR AND IN
AFGHANISTAN ITSELF. >> OUR UNION WAS INITIALLY
DEPLOYED TO IN EARLY STAGES AFTER 9.11.
>> TREVOR TO BORE HAS HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT DURING 3 TOURS
OF DUTY IN AFGHANISTAN. WHEN I FIRST WENT IN ON THE FIRST
APPOINTMENTS. YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALL MOUNT THIS DIRT ROADS. WE
STARTED BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE TO ALLOW
VEHICLES TO GET FROM ONE SIDE OF THE COUNTRY TO THE OTHER.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP THOSE THINGS AND HELP THEM.
THE BALL. >> OVER TIME. THE STATED GOAL
OF US INVOLVEMENT HAS SHIFTED FROM ROOTING OUT THE
TERRORISTS BEHIND THE 9.11 ATTACKS AND FIGHTING AL QAEDA
TO REBUILDING THE COUNTRY AND TRAINING AFGHAN FORCES IN 2018
TREVOR SON PEYTON ENLISTED IN THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD AND HE
TO DEPLOY TO AFGHANISTAN. DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE ON
9.11 PROBABLY CRYING. >> AS A CHILD HAS LIKE ONE. I
WAS BORN IN 2000 OR SO. >> LIKE HIS FATHER BEFORE HIM
PAID AND ALSO SERVED ON FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY
INTO LAW ALL ABOUT. >> WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO
BE INVOLVED IN A MILITARY ACTION THAT STARTED. BEFORE
YOU HAVE MEMORIES SYSTEM FULLY WILD. IT'S LIKE LOOKING BACK
AT IT. IT'S A 20 YEAR WAR. IT'S FROM WHAT WE'VE STARTED
AS AND WE'RE TRYING FINISH AS I FEEL IT'S THE SAME ORBIT.
DIFFERENT GOAL >> PRESIDENT TRUMP CAMPAIGNED
ON A PROMISE TO STOP US INVOLVEMENT IN ENDLESS WARS.
WHY IS IT RUSSIA THERE? WHY ISN'T INDIA THERE. WHAT IS IN
PAKISTAN THERE WHILE WE THERE WAS 6,000 MILES AWAY IN
FEBRUARY. THE U.S. AND THE TALIBAN SIGNED A DEAL THAT
WOULD SEE INTERNATIONAL FORCES PULL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN BY THE
MIDDLE OF 2021 IF THE TALIBAN FOR PHIL'S AGREEMENTS,
INCLUDING SEVERING TIES WITH AL QAEDA.
>> WHOM THEY HAVE LONG PROTECTED AS TRUMP'S TERM
DRAWS TO A CLOSE. THE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED PLANS
TO CUT THE NUMBER OF REMAINING U.S. TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN,
ROUGHLY IN HALF LEAVING JUST 2500 BY JANUARY 15TH 5 DAYS
BEFORE PRESIDENT ELECT JOE BIDEN TAKES OFFICE. BIDEN HAS
ALSO SPOKEN ABOUT HIS DESIRE TO BRING US TROOPS HOME.
>> IT'S LONG PAST TIME WE THE FOREVER WARS. BUT IT'S UNCLEAR
IF HE'LL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PLANS. SOME
FEAR LEAVING TOO SOON COULD CREATE A POWER VACUUM.
>> THAT WOULD GIVE EXTREMISTS A NEW OPENING WHEN YOU WERE IN
AFGHANISTAN FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT RIVER DID IT SEEM THE
KIND OF SITUATION WHERE LIKE OH, YEAH. MY BELIEF I HEAR IS
WELL, ABSOLUTELY NOT. WE WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS AS TO WHY WE
WERE THERE AND THERE IT OFTEN CAME UP AS ONE ANSWER. I'M
HERE AFTER 9.11. SO MY KIDS DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT THIS WAR.
YEAH, I I HAD NO. NO IDEA THAT BP STILL FIGHTING IT. 20 YEARS
LATER AFTER SERVING IN THE SAME WAR ZONE YEARS APART.
BOTH FATHER AND SON WILL BE WATCHING CLOSELY IN THE COMING
MONTHS. >> FOR SIGNS AS TO WHETHER
AMERICA'S FOREVER WAR MIGHT FINALLY ACTUALLY BE ABOUT TO
END. >> SO SARAH WENT TO PAIN AND
TRAVERSE A ABOUT A TROOP WITHDRAWAL.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT I SPOKE TO THEM. THEY BOTH SUPPORTED THE
IDEA OF A TRANSITION AND ALLOWING LOCAL AFGHAN FORCES
TO BEGIN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SITUATION ON THE
GROUND. THEY WERE BOTH IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE WORK
THAT THEY HAD ACCOMPLISHED IN THE COUNTRY. BUT THE DAD
TREVOR HE WAS REALLY KEEN NOT TO SEE HIS GRANDKIDS FIGHT IN
THE SAME OR. >> THAT HE AND HIS SON DID
>> THAT HE AND HIS SON DID FRENZY. ALL RIGHT, SARA,