1 in 3 veterans say wars not worth it
Source: Agencies |
October 6, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
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ONE in three veterans of the post-September 11 military believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting, and a majority think the United States should be focusing less on foreign affairs and more on its own problems, according to the latest opinion poll.
The findings highlight a dilemma for the Obama administration and Congress as they struggle to shrink the government's huge budget deficits and reconsider defense priorities while trying to keep public support for remaining involved in Iraq and Afghanistan for the longer term.
Nearly 4,500 US troops have died in Iraq and nearly 1,700 in Afghanistan. Combined war costs since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have topped US$1 trillion.
The poll results presented by the Pew Research Center portray post-September 11 veterans as proud of their work, scarred by warfare and convinced the American public has little understanding of their problems.
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization that studies attitudes and trends, called the study the first of its kind. The results were based on two surveys. One polled 1,853 veterans, including 712 who had served in the military after September 11, 2001 but are no longer on active duty.
The other polled 2,003 civilians.
Nearly half the veterans said deployments strained their relationship with their spouses, and a similar share reported problems with their children. On the other hand, 60 percent said they and their families benefited financially from having served abroad in a combat zone. Asked for a word to describe their experiences, the veterans offered a mixed picture: "rewarding," "nightmare," "eye-opening," "lousy."
There are about 98,000 US troops in Afghanistan, where the conflict began with a US-led invasion on October 7, 2001. Obama campaigned in 2008 on getting out of Iraq and ramping up the campaign in Afghanistan. He is on track to have all US troops out of Iraq by the end of this year, and in July announced he would pull 10,000 troops out of Afghanistan this year and 23,000 more by next September.
The survey found veterans are ambivalent about the value of the wars, although they were more positive about Afghanistan. One-third said neither war was worth the sacrifices. That was the view of 45 percent of civilians. Fifty percent of veterans said Afghanistan was worth it, as against 41 percent of civilians. Among veterans, 44 percent said Iraq was worth it, compared with 36 percent of civilians.
The findings highlight a dilemma for the Obama administration and Congress as they struggle to shrink the government's huge budget deficits and reconsider defense priorities while trying to keep public support for remaining involved in Iraq and Afghanistan for the longer term.
Nearly 4,500 US troops have died in Iraq and nearly 1,700 in Afghanistan. Combined war costs since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have topped US$1 trillion.
The poll results presented by the Pew Research Center portray post-September 11 veterans as proud of their work, scarred by warfare and convinced the American public has little understanding of their problems.
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization that studies attitudes and trends, called the study the first of its kind. The results were based on two surveys. One polled 1,853 veterans, including 712 who had served in the military after September 11, 2001 but are no longer on active duty.
The other polled 2,003 civilians.
Nearly half the veterans said deployments strained their relationship with their spouses, and a similar share reported problems with their children. On the other hand, 60 percent said they and their families benefited financially from having served abroad in a combat zone. Asked for a word to describe their experiences, the veterans offered a mixed picture: "rewarding," "nightmare," "eye-opening," "lousy."
There are about 98,000 US troops in Afghanistan, where the conflict began with a US-led invasion on October 7, 2001. Obama campaigned in 2008 on getting out of Iraq and ramping up the campaign in Afghanistan. He is on track to have all US troops out of Iraq by the end of this year, and in July announced he would pull 10,000 troops out of Afghanistan this year and 23,000 more by next September.
The survey found veterans are ambivalent about the value of the wars, although they were more positive about Afghanistan. One-third said neither war was worth the sacrifices. That was the view of 45 percent of civilians. Fifty percent of veterans said Afghanistan was worth it, as against 41 percent of civilians. Among veterans, 44 percent said Iraq was worth it, compared with 36 percent of civilians.
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