Strong opinions about the Taliban's recent takeover of Afghanistan have been voiced widely through media outlets over the last 24 hours. From national voices to state representatives and even neighbors here in East Tennessee, people haven't been shy about speaking on their thoughts.
While there have been many comparisons to the fall of Saigon, Dr. Mark O'Gorman of Maryville College says it's not quite the same.
"You have to be really careful with this kind of comparison, because what the United States has been doing is actually pulling out of a conflict for a number of decades," said O'Gorman.
Kathy Hovater lost a close loved one who fought in Afghanistan. She has her fair share of concerns about what is happening.
"I feel for the people. I really feel for the people and I think we as a country need to help them," Hovater noted.
One of the things that makes the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan different is the speed with which it happened. The U.S. continued to pull more troops out of the country earlier in the year, and Taliban forces advanced rapidly into key points of Afghanistan. Over the past several days, their advances have increased and forced out Afghani leadership.
"We're talking literally hundreds of thousands of Afghani troops, and I think the entire world community is just surprised at how quickly they just stepped away," O'Gorman went on to say.
President Joe Biden continued to defend his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the area, but he gave a warning against violence in a Monday afternoon speech.
"If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful," Biden said.