Afghanistan: It's History and Challenges for the Futuer

On October 24th,Toby Marion, who served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, and who has kept up with developments in  

Afghanistan, will discuss the subject of his book
Afghanistan: Crossroads and Kingdoms—My 1970s Peace Corps Service and Recent Afghan History.

 He will address the challenges of the past 50 years, what has happened and what may lie ahead. Toby was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Afghanistan from end 1971 to January 1975. 

He grew up in Whittier, CA and Mamaroneck, NY, and attended Cornell for a BS and MIT for an MS in Chemical Engineering. After the PC he spent 24 years with Caltex Oil, now a Chevron subsidiary,
in NY, Bahrain, Australia, Dallas, Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong. After this, he worked in consulting with two companies in Hong Kong and started a wine distributorship for California wines in Hong Kong and China. He is currently retired and living in Tiburon with his British wife.

On November 14th, retired Marine Colonel Brendan Kearney will talk to us about Ukraine. 

Where Have We Been; Where We Are; and Where Are We Going? He will focus on the historical context of the current conflict, with particular emphasis on the dramatic change of
events from the overwhelming success of the 2014 Russian invasion to the military disaster encountered by Russia
subsequent to the 2022 invasion.

Brendan Kearney is a San Francisco native, the son of Irish and Scotch immigrants, having attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory and the University of San Francisco. 

Commissioned in the United States Marine Corps in July 1975. An Infantry Officer, his service spanned the globe to include Command at the Company, Battalion (3d Battalion, 3d Marines), and 4th Marine Regiment to included combat during Operation DESERT STORM. Staff assignments included the U.S. Pacific Command and multiple tours at Headquarter, U. S. Marine Corps. His final assignment as Chief of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Completing 31 years of service with retirement from active duty on 30 June 2006. He and his wife, Katie, currently reside in Santa Rosa, California, from where he periodically appears as an International/Military affairs analyst with San Francisco’s CBS affiliates KPIX and KCBS. 

In addition to a BA from USF, Brendan holds an MS in National Security Strategy from the National War College. He was additionally a recipient of a Fellowship from MIT Center of International Studies in the Seminar XXI Program. 

Past employment has included Senior Management positions in the high-tech industry, consulting, and as a Program Manager for the County of Sonoma administering a Federal Anti-terrorism grant program for the North Bay.  

A Member of the Marines Memorial since 1971, he has previously served on the Board of Directors. He has also served as a Board of Director with two other California based non-profit organizations focused on youth leadership and veterans’ issues. He has been Director of Living Memorial since February 2018.