When the Iraq war started on March 19, 2003 many of us that are part of Gen X or the Millennial generation thought it would be over fairly quickly, likeDesert Stormwhen the first Bush was in office. None of us were prepared for a war to still be continuing today, especially since many of us now wonder with Saddam dead and a democratic government elected, why are we still there?
To get the answer to this basic question I asked Max Yashirin, a 25 year old Iraq vet, who is running for Congress here in Nebraska.
After I spoke with Max, I thought it was important to do a recap of where young people stand on Iraq and some of the critical issues around the war are in order.
Where Young People Stand on the War
According to theMTV/CBS poll, 66% of young people want America to start bringing our troops home now and 60% want the next President to end the war in the next two years. In fact, it’s one of young voters’ top three issues they are voting on in 2008 and for good reason. Many of our peers are over in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Almost five years ago, our country mourned37 US troopswho gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life. Today, there are over4,099soldiers that have been killed and over 30,000 wounded. Those numbers however don’t even come close to the estimated number of soldiers who are living with post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression.
It is now estimated that over 300,000 soldiers are struggling with mental health issues. 300,000. Some will argue that number is too high. But no matter the number, the bottom line is men, women and their families are struggling are not getting the help they need from our government.
Wounded Warriors and 21stCentury GI Bill*
The Wounded Warrior Resource Center, which would give families and soldiers a one-stop resource to get answers and paperwork processed, has yet to be created. The military missed that deadline in April. The resource center was created out of legislation that arose after the Walter Reed scandal in early 2007.
Young people who are watching the daily news stories about the war from the outside, shake our heads and ask “if we support the troops, why aren’t we getting them the help they need when they are home?”
Politicians and members of the military say we support the troops, yet President Bush and Presidential candidate John McCain both say the21stCentury GI Bill, which would give returning soldiers access to higher education and low-interest home loans, is not necessary and would cost too much money and would encourage soldiers to stay in the military for fewer years since too many would leave to pursue college.
We scratch our heads wondering why the government can’t find the resources to help our soldiers and families who are struggling with mental illness or who want to simply go to school and yet the Pentagon canlose $8 billion dollarsand we can continue to give no-bid contracts to companies making millions off of the war.
*Update: after this post was published, Congress passed this new GI Bill and President Bush sign the bill into law.