At Empty Bases, Echoes of War
As the United States withdraws its forces from Afghanistan, a former Marine who became a Times reporter sees only traces of what several camps used to be.
A fine powder sandstorm kicked up across Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province in August 2009, back when U.S. troops filled the huge base.Credit.Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images for The New York Times
May 28, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
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In 2008, I was a Marine lance corporal. I was 20 years old. I graduated from high school in 2006. George W. Bush was president. I owned an iPod and a flip phone. It was my first deployment to Afghanistan. I wanted to buy the new Weezer album (the “Red Album,” featuring “Pork and Beans”) and watch “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” when I got back.
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