By CHRIS SNELL, guest columnist

First, this is a statement from myself as an Afghanistan veteran, and I am speaking as such.

I am also speaking as a representative of the Brown County Veteran Service Office and as your Brown County veteran service officer.

As we continue to watch the Afghanistan mission unfold and our troops being brought back home, I want to remind everyone that this is a deep heartfelt time for our veterans and service members who have served overseas in Afghanistan.

We are processing many thoughts.

I found myself early on during the initial news relating to Vietnam veterans and wondering if this was all in vain. After much thought and consideration, I have concluded that this was not done in vain for a variety of reasons.

I would never wish war upon any man or woman. It is unmerciful, heartless and filled with many regrets. There are many victims and casualties of war, and unless you have stepped foot onto that battlefield, you will never completely understand the effects and toll it takes on an individual.

I want the Vietnam veterans of our county to hear me say this personally: I have always appreciated your service and I know that you never got the welcome home you deserved. I feel that I can say with confidence that I have, in the past, felt related to you with regards to how this conflict has been handled. I can say now, in the present, that I feel much closer to you than I ever have before, and I can say, at least for the foreseen future, we will have a special bond between our generations.

I do want everyone to understand that while the mission may be done in Afghanistan, our mission will never be done supporting our veterans and their families. We have much work to be done and we are only getting started. The support we have in this county for our veterans is beyond comparable to other parts of this state. I am proud to be of service to my brothers and sisters and want nothing more than to continue serving you in this capacity.

I leave you with this: No matter what you think about the politics of this current situation, no matter what you think about whether Afghanistan was a good idea or bad idea, it will never be okay to belittle our veterans for their service in it. I stand firm on my position of being apolitical at the Brown County Veteran Service Office as WE SERVE EVERY VETERAN regardless of their stance on positions such as this Afghanistan mission and any other wartime conflicts our country has endured.

I also extend my offer to receive communication with regards to this statement via phone call, 812-988-5600, or email, [email protected].

If you are struggling with any thoughts, please contact the Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.

Chris Snell is the veterans service officer for Brown County. He can be reached at 812-988-5600 or [email protected].