--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to share the risks the digger in…" description: "\"“I wanted to share the risks the digger in Afghanistan took every day. Whenever I could I joined patrols ‘outside the wire’, walking the same dusty tra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/john-cantwell-249026_afghanistan_i-wanted-to-share-the-risks-the-digger-i_2472524.jpg" --- # I wanted to share the risks the digger in Afghanistan took… ![“I wanted to share the risks the digger in Afghanistan took every day. Whenever I could I joined patrols ‘outside the wire’, walking the same dusty tracks and fields as the ordinary soldiers. I did everything in my power to keep them alive, I failed. In that year I lost ten soldiers under my…” quote by John Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/john-cantwell-249026_afghanistan_i-wanted-to-share-the-risks-the-digger-i_2472524.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/john-cantwell-249026_afghanistan_i-wanted-to-share-the-risks-the-digger-i_2472524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/john-cantwell-249026_afghanistan_i-wanted-to-share-the-risks-the-digger-i_2472524.jpg) > ““I wanted to share the risks the digger in Afghanistan took every day. Whenever I could I joined patrols ‘outside the wire’, walking the same dusty tracks and fields as the ordinary soldiers. I did everything in my power to keep them alive, I failed. In that year I lost ten soldiers under my command, killed in action. I personally identified the remains of each of them, sending them home to their families. More than sixty of my soldiers were wounded, some horribly.”” John Cantwell ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator shares the heavy toll of war, describing personal loss and the burden of responsibility. **In simple terms:** War brings deep personal loss and responsibility. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and process wartime trauma. Themes war loss responsibility trauma leadership Mood somber grave reflective Type Afghanistan:1 Every day:0 Ptsd:1 Soldiers:1 Sorrow:1 War:1 Digger Afghanistan:0 Soldiers Did:0 Risks Digger:0 Lost Soldiers:1 When to use this quote - veteran counseling - military planning - historical documentation Key Concepts military ethics psychological impact Questions to Reflect On - How do leaders cope with loss of subordinates? - What support helps soldiers after trauma? A Different Perspective Narratives may glorify sacrifice over healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Ptsd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ptsd/) [Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“He said, “Sir, we are in a very bad position! We have lost many soldiers KIA (Killed in Action) and many more are wounded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/he-said-sir-we-are-in-a-very-bad-position-we-have-lost-many-soldiers/) [Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/) > [“i did what heartbroken, lost soldiers have done for centuries. I made my way home to my mother."- Richard Von Schaumburg”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-martinez/i-did-what-heartbroken-lost-soldiers-have-done-for-centuries-i-made/) [Angel Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-martinez/) > [“Have you forgotten me? by Nancy B. Brewer The bricks I laid or the stitches I sewed. I was the one that made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-b-brewer/have-you-forgotten-me-by-nancy-b-brewer-the-bricks-i-laid-or-the/) [Nancy B. Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-b-brewer/) > [Although the United States lost a quarter of a million men and women, civilians and soldiers, in World War II, that's considerably less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/although-the-united-states-lost-a-quarter-of-a-million-men-and-women/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [Our soldiers did not go to some foreign country and risk their lives in vain and defend our Constitution so that decades later you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/our-soldiers-did-not-go-to-some-foreign-country-and-risk-their-lives/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [“For our purpose, however, what the soldiers did or did not read is irrelevant. For, if soldiers did not learn to fight their battles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/for-our-purpose-however-what-the-soldiers-did-or-did-not-read-is/) [John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/) > [“There is nothing like that for the boys who did not go to war; they were not soldiers, and did not die. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/there-is-nothing-like-that-for-the-boys-who-did-not-go-to-war-they/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [“(What Jim had seen tallied with studies conducted after the Second World War by the military historian General S.L.A. Marshall. He interviewed thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-jim-had-seen-tallied-with-studies-conducted-after-the-second/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [The soldiers did go away and their towns were torn down; and in the Moon of Falling Leaves (November), they made a treaty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/the-soldiers-did-go-away-and-their-towns-were-torn-down-and-in-the/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [“Olson sat up. He put his hands against his belly and stared calmly at the poised soldiers on the deck of the squat vehicle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bachman/olson-sat-up-he-put-his-hands-against-his-belly-and-stared-calmly-at/) [Richard Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bachman/) > [“Treating Abuse Today (Tat), 3(4), pp. 26-33 Freyd: I see what you're saying but people in psychology don't have a uniform agreement on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-calof/treating-abuse-today-tat-3-4-pp-26-33-freyd-i-see-what-you-re-saying/) [David L. Calof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-l-calof/) > [ Since PTSD is being exposed to death and the death of someone close, I felt really close to \[the soldiers\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-winocour/since-ptsd-is-being-exposed-to-death-and-the-death-of-someone-close-i/) Alice Winocour > [I did a study of soldiers returning from Iraq, and their levels of PTSD were much higher if they had had to shoot a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-bloom/i-did-a-study-of-soldiers-returning-from-iraq-and-their-levels-of/) [Mia Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-bloom/) > [“no recovery from trauma is possible without attending to issues of safety, care for the self, reparative connections to other human beings, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janina-fisher/no-recovery-from-trauma-is-possible-without-attending-to-issues-of/) Janina Fisher > [I don't think there is a true cure for PTSD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-don-t-think-there-is-a-true-cure-for-ptsd/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wanted to share the risks the digger in Afghanistan took every day. 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