The months of October and November 2011 mark the ten year anniversary of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. was fighting a war on two fronts and had been at war longer then at any time in its history. For most of the time we unaware that the U.S. is at war.  Most people are only aware of the war when it directly affects them, even though we have a large group of veterans returning to civilian life after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Oct. 21 President Obama announced the troop withdrawal from Iraq. This came as a relief to many people, myself included. I have always had mixed feelings about the war.

I have always been in favor of the war in Afghanistan. I feel the Taliban and all they stood for were a threat to everyone and had to be dealt with. All nations have the right to defend themselves from internal and external security, so dealing with the Taliban was crucial. I have always backed the NATO lead action in Afghanistan and the long-term goal to bring peace and stability to the region.

When it comes to Iraq I feel as though we should have left the caged tiger alone. By the year 2003, Saddam Hussein was a threat only to his own people and in due time, the Iraqis would have removed him themselves without dividing Iraq and plunging the country into civil war.

Instead, the U.S. spent eight years spilling Iraqi and American blood and capital in an unnecessary war. I did not favor a unilateral pull-out. We broke the country which makes us obligated to assist Iraq in restoring their economic, social, and political structure. 

At De Anza, after 10 years of war there is a mixture of not knowing whether or not we are still at war. In my own family, no one is in the armed forces or been involved in the fighting. It’s only natural for us to overlook events that don’t personally affect us. However, our U.S. army is far too valuable to be overlooked. 

I know plenty of fellow students who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, or have had a loved one in the service, and/or lost someone very dear to their hearts. 

The veterans are a large part of our future. They have returned to school, raised families and have started careers inthe meantime. Most of the time, we won’t even know who is and who isn’t a veteran. 

In short, the war will eventually be over, but the effects of the war will be felt for years to come. The veterans have lost fellow soldiers and they cannot be forgotten. We owe it to our veterans–who risked their lives to protect us–to provide them with support in health, education and work. The veterans are a part of this generation who will be working with the effects of the war for years to come.