On the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War, many are reflecting on all that has happened in the last two decades.
On the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War, many are reflecting on all that has happened in the last two decades.
I served in Iraq, and all over the Middle East and Horn of Africa as part of the Global War on Terror. I saw the worst of what war has to offer, met by the incredible bravery of America’s troops.
But the courage on display in Iraq and around the world is a bright spot in an otherwise dark foreign policy mistake, perhaps one of the worst blunders in our nation’s history.
The ramifications of the war in Iraq, and our nation’s endless wars in general, are already being felt and will continue for decades to come. They put our troops in untenable, unwinnable positions overseas, and leave them with no clear path to victory. That isn’t just dangerous for those with boots on the ground. The danger follows us home in the form of low morale and feelings of purposelessness and our sacrifices and losses being in vain.
The post-9/11 wars have cost more than $6 trillion, most of which has been borrowed by our government. This has caused the national debt to skyrocket, increasing by around $25 trillion in 21 years.
Care for veterans will add to the cost of those wars. Federal spending on veterans’ care has doubled over the last 20 years, and at least $2.
