U.S. Army veteran Sean Lee wasn’t necessarily surprised to see the Taliban sweep across Afghanistan during the past week. Instead, he was surprised at his own subdued reaction.

“I’m far more apathetic than I thought I would be,” said the retired Sergeant First Class. “I did not have the hope for Afghanistan that I did for Iraq.”…

Mr. Quevado said it is bittersweet to think about this as the way a 20-year war ends, and while he felt he and his fellow soldiers were making a small, positive change when he was deployed, it has always been frustrating to have little feedback from the Afghans.

“The people could never express their thanks because they’d be betraying their own people,” he said.