The War - According to Our Vets

Do you think American's collective mindset about the wars in Afganistan and Iraq has changed since 9/11? Shortly following 9/11, naturally, 90% of Americans felt the war was necessary, and supported our efforts overseas. Since the turbulence of 9/11 has calmed and people have had time to question, the statistics look a little different. In a recent poll cited in a article for CNN.com, "45% -- higher than among military respondents -- said neither of the wars fought after the September 11, 2001, attacks has been worth the cost, and only a quarter said they were following news of the wars closely." (Moni Basu, http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/us/war-attitudes/index.html?iref=allsearch)

Why such a dramatic change recently? Here's my answer: Time plays a huge a role in this reversal. We are in the depths of the longest wars we have ever fought, and so the stance of America has gone from "we are doing what is right" to "why are we doing this, again?" It's a fine line for a person to distinguish between understanding the reasons we dove into war, and the reasons wy we are still in it. Needless to say, our soldiers have served us selflessly and bravely and we owe everything to them. They say time heals all wounds, but in this very dramatic case, time may not be enough to heal the deaths of 12,731 soldiers to date. (http://antiwar.com/casualties/)(since the official initiation of the war). As with most major U.S. actions, time sways public opinion, and after almost ten years since the infamous terrorist attacks, American's are second guessing our country's actions.