Current Event #22
The Iraq War 10 Years Later: Was it Really Worth Fighting?
Sean Smith/Getty Images U.S. Marines pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in the center of Baghdad April 9, 2003.
Due: Friday, March 22nd 2013
The week of March 17 marks
the 10-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, when a U.S.-led coalition invaded
the country to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.The war succeeded in
removing a despotic regime, but sparked years of sectarian strife in the Middle
Eastern nation and regional upheaval, while the U.S. and its allies also felt
the repercussions of a battle thousands of miles away.
A decade on from the
conflict, America is keen to hear from those who were involved, from Iraqis
themselves and people in neighboring countries, to the military who served in
battle (and those they left behind), to charity workers and contractors who
worked in Iraq at this time.
What You Will Do
Students should visit the following link:
to view footage highlighting the 10 year anniversary of the
Iraq War. Students should read the articles and watch the videos, to learn
about a war which divided a country over its existence. Students should also
answer the following questions in full details to express their point of views.
1) Ten years later, what do you think the Iraq war has
changed in you, your family, and in our country?
2) Was the Iraq War worth fighting and was it a victory for
the United States?
***Note: Remember to answer all questions in complete, detailed sentences/paragraphs.***
Avery Acierno
ReplyDelete3/20/13
Period 5
1. The Iraq war has definitely made an impact on our country, the United States of America. The war was very costly in money (estimated 728 billion dollars) and life (many American soldiers were killed or wounded). The Iraq war forced the people of America to examine and question if the war was worth it or not. It caused many controversies between citizens over if the war was right or not. The war didn’t have a big impact on my family, no one we knew fought in it. Still, I think my family was against starting the war with Iraq. The same can be said for me, I question the necessity of the war.
2. Personally, I do not think the Iraq war was worth fighting for our country. First of all, it turns out our information was false and Iraq didn’t posses nuclear weapons. So the why were we fighting? I do understand that we were combating terrorism and violence in Iraq, but I believe the war was far too costly in money and American lives. Sometimes we just have to step away from things to avoid costly consequences. I also don’t believe the US won the Iraq war because we gave up so much and accomplished little.
Paige Haskins
ReplyDeletePeriod 7
March 20, 2013
Since this war as been going on for 10 years it has caused major in change in not only the United States and Middle East but also all over the world. In the United States, thousands of lives have been lost destroying famillies everywhere. Also, this war has costed the US a lot of money that we don't have, about 728 billion dollars. Not only is there lost in life for the US but iinnocent civilians of Iraq that have been caught in crosse fire. The war had a rather big impact on my family when my uncle joined forces. He serves in the Navy and has been stationed in Iraq for 2 years now. The main question is why does this war countinue to happen if in the news people say that peace is being brought to these countries. Somthing isn't being told to us on the progress of the war.
I think the Iraq war was worth fighting for. Was. Not anymore. It seems strange that the war has stayed in progress after all these years. I beleive that many americans needed the death of bin Laden and Hussain as a sort of closer to 9/11 and the other terrorists attacks. Howver, I think that now those two people dont exsist anymore, I think the war should come to an end.
Julianna Turner
ReplyDeleteMarch 20, 2012
World History, 2nd
Current Event 22
Wars are bloody affairs. It is extremely expensive to arm, feed, treat and shelter so many people (especially across the ocean). They require extensive amounts of supplies, and take a drastic toll on the soldiers, the families and the country. The Iraq war has definitely impacted America in countless ways. It has sparked several disagreements on whether or not the war is worth fighting. The Iraq war has also impacted the citizens of America. The lives of the families of those that are fighting would change permanently the day they learned that their child, parent, sibling or spouse would sail overseas to a foreign land they may never return from.
I think that the Iraq war was definitely worth fighting. We traveled overseas due to the threat of nuclear weapons, a rumor which turned out to be false. American troops remained in iraq to combat terrorism (specifically Al-Qaeda), topple a dictatorship and establish democracy. The war was won as soon as we began to occupy Iraq; aided the people there in choosing their leaders and learning to protect themselves. It would be wrong to leave Iraq as an unstable environment easily controlled by outside sources. We have to finish what we started or things will be even worse off. I think that the Iraq war is but one battle in the war on terrorism. I think it was successful, but there will be many more instances where we will have to show our strength as a nation and demand justice to terrorists across the globe.
Abby Kameny
ReplyDelete5th period
3/20/2013
The war in Iraq has definitely made a significant impact on the United States of America. Not only was it extremely expensive, but the war between us also caused thousands of deaths or injuries. It has also affected the families living in Iraq and its other surrounding countries. It's hard to believe this war has lasted for ten long years, and I believe it has mostly impacted the family members of the brave soldiers who traveled to Iraq.
I'm indecisive as to whether this war was worth fighting. Our country thought we were being threatened with nuclear weapons, when in fact, we were not. Osama Bin Laden was killed, but I think it's pointless to keep fighting with Iraq now, I'm sure there's some legitimate reason as to why we are still at war with Iraq, but I believe the United States wasted a lot of money, supplies, and effort on this war. I hope the war between us and Iraq ends soon, and the soldiers can safely return home to their families.
Jackson Cabell
ReplyDelete7th Period
The war that we have won in Iraq has not impacted me or my family but I definitely think it has impacted the United States of America. We lost many troops in the war with them but we also killed our enemy Osama Bin Laden. Our country has to realize how many families we effected that are living in Iraq. Lots of those families must have been effected that are living there. I respect the soldiers that were fighting in Iraq. They are noble and we will never forget them.
I do not think that the war in Iraq was worth it. As stated earlier, we lost many of our soldiers who were fighting for our country. There were man deaths that took place, on both sides of the battle. Although, I do think it was a big accomplishment that we killed Osama Bin Laden, for he was a long time enemy of the USA after conducting the tragic 9/11.
Markale Cordova
ReplyDelete3/20/13
5th period
To be honest, with the war concerning Iraq (which we won) has not impact me or my family as much, but I know it impacts the United States of America. As an country; we've lost soo many troops in the war, but we came with a plus when we killed our long time enemy Osama Bin Laden himself. Many families men were in the war with Iraq. Some were able to make it home safe, alive and others did not. I respect our troops a lot for everything they did for us and our country. Going out there in war is not easy or fun as it sounds or think.
People in America has there reasons if it was worth it or not. Honestly, i'm not trying to pick sides but there is a reason why they did it. Because of the 9/11 thing and Osama Bin Laden has been a long time enemy for USA, but also we lost many lives from both sides. As I said before, people has there reasons.
Edward Zhuang
ReplyDelete5th Period
10 years after the Iraq war, America has become a different place. Thousands of Americans have died in this war. $728,000,000,000 dollars have been spent. No sum of money can be used to describe the mental toll that this war has had on veterans and on those who would never see their friend come back. The war was not necessary, and the payoff was not worth the sacrifices. I, for one, however, cannot say that this war has impacted me personally. This may be because I am a second generation American.
It is the difficult to describe whether or not Iraq war worth fighting for. The nucular threat may not be ignored, so it was maybe good that we take the action. We have also fighted with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, and now the Bin-Laden is no more. However, as I mentioning earlier, the rewards were not worth the losses. The success was too little while loss is too much.
Jacob Engel
ReplyDelete7th period
During the last 10 years, the US has been in the middle of a war in Iraq. It has costed us 728 billion dollars, and thousands of american lives. This war has taken a serious toll on the army, but it hasn't impacted that many people outside of families with members in the army very much. I know for one, that it hasn't really impacted my family or me at all. We don't know anyone who is in the army, let alone know someone who has gotten wounded or died.
I think that the Iraq war was a total waste of time. We did accomplished a few good things, one of which happened in the first year or two in the war, which was killing Sadaam Hussein. Killing Osama bin-Laden was important, but that was not even in Iraq. On the flip side, we have made the whole entire Middle East hate us even more, send drones out, and kill thousands of civillians. We have gotten rid of an enemy, but made many more.
Anna Castellano
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
After ten years I don’t think that the Iraq war has changed me of r my family because nobody I knew was involved in it. However, the war has definitely made an impact on the United States. Many soldiers from the United States military were killed. Also, wars are very expensive so the war cost the United States a lot of money.
I don’t think that the Iraq war was worth fighting because so many soldiers died. Also, the article said that Iraq had no nuclear weapons, so I don’t understand how Iraq was a big threat to the United States. I understand why we were fighting but I don’t think that that was worth the death and injury of thousands and the money that the United States had to spend. I don’t think it was a victory or a loss for the United States because we didn’t accomplish much in the war yet we were not defeated.
Jessi Szymczak
ReplyDelete2nd period
3/20/13
The war in Iraq has made a huge impact on our country. We have suffered many terrible losses and have lost a little bit of our national pride. The war was very expensive and cost a lot from our country. It's difficult to believe that the war in Iraq has lasted for just about ten years. I know that many families and the United States as a whole has been affected each and every day that we continue to fight.
Personally, I don't believe that the Iraq war was worth fighting, or at least not for that long. To have the war in the first place wasn't that bad of an idea because things did need to get settled with Iraq that couldn't be solved any other way. However, it has gone on for way to long. Wars in general to me seem to end up getting the world no where. However no matter if the U.S. received a victory or not at least the rest of the soldiers can return home safely and we don't have to continue fighting.
Nick Agusta
ReplyDelete1st period
3/20/13
The war in Iraq hasn't had a personal impact on me but I believe that it has given people a sense of pride in our countries armed forces.
I fully believe that the war in Iraq was worth it. War is expensive but our government would not spend this kind of money on something that wasn't worth it.
Gabi Brenman
ReplyDeletePeriod 7
The Iraq War did not have many personal effects on my family and I, but it did have some. My grandma’s husband went to Iraq during the war. I did not know him before he went, but I met him once he came back. He came back with stories from the war. One of my mom’s friends helped out from the continental US. As a country, I think that the Iraq war at first split us farther apart. Not everyone agreed with the reasons for this war. Toward the end, the war brought our country closer. People had a sense of pride for getting rid of the dictator Saddam Hussein.
Although I do not agree with the reasons for starting the Iraq War, I would like to say it made a difference. It has already happened, we cannot undo it, so I want to say it made a difference for the better. It is said that the US helped Iraq begin a democracy and end a dictatorship. I would say this is great. I know that the US lost billions of dollars and many lives because of this war. The loss of money has definitely been felt by citizens of the US. The positive outcomes of this war mainly affect Iraqis. Hopefully Americans realize this and do not believe the war was for nothing.
Shamim Zarei
ReplyDelete2nd Period
The war in Iraw hasn't really efected me or my family because my family wasn't in the army so I would't fear the death of any of my family members. The war definitely affected many epople in America because family members lost people and when we won, it gave the US confidence and more strength. The war cost the US 728 billion dollars and many lost troops, but the victory did pay off in the end.
I think the war in Iraq was worth it because the US got the victory and Iraq shouldn't be a problem for a while. It did cost the US lots of money and lost of important troops, but they sacrificed their lives for us and the victory. On the flip side, we have made the whole entire Middle East hate us even more, send drones out, and kill thousands of civillians. We have gotten rid of an enemy, but made many more.
Sam Bauers
ReplyDelete2nd period
The war in Iraq has affected everyone that lives here I the U.S whether for the better or for the worse. Some families have lost loved ones and others have spent many nights worried sick about them. For our family our neighbor is in the army so we think about him all the first time hoping that he will be all right. Sometimes its easy for us to say how much we dissaprove of something and how we shouldn't do this or that. But they don't see the big picture.
I think it was worth it to start the war in Iraq. There were
Leaders in charge that were threats and tyrants to their country and ours. So we stepped in and tried to fix the problem. After those leaders were taken care of some people think we should of left. But how can you leave those people in the middle east with no leader and their government in shambles. Its not fair for them and I think that if someone asked them they would be very appreciative of everything that we have done for them.
Jeff Richardson
ReplyDeleteHonors World History
Period 1
Personally I think the whole war is a stain in American history. The fact that there were no nuclear weapons makes us look bad as a country. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned.
When you compare the pros and the cons of the whole situation it is easy to see whether or not it was worth it. Troops on both ends of the fighting died, and for what? If we really wanted to get rid of threatening leaders in Iraq there are better wasy to do it than war.
Katherine Yang
ReplyDelete3/21/2013
5th Period H World History
1) I do not think there should be specific limitations made when it comes to allowing some passengers (handicapped, children, etc.), to forego standard security procedures, but there should be more consideration for those types of passengers. They should be treated with care, but limitations honestly shouldn’t be necessary unless this becomes a much more serious issue to Americans.
2) I neither agree nor disagree with the TSA’s actions regarding the 3-year-old’s wheelchair incident. I think the mother was a bit overprotective, but I can definitely understand why she wouldn’t want some random people to touch her 3-year old disabled baby girl.
The TSA could have handled the situation with more care, and could have explained the situation more. Most mothers in that situation probably would have allowed their child to be searched if the TSA were courteous, kind, and apologized for the regulations.
Cisem Karaca
ReplyDelete5th period
3/21/13
I think the war in Iraq effected a lot of people. There were so many people who had to leave their lives here to serve our country. Not only did it effect the soldiers lives but it effected every one in this country. The cost of the war was not friendly on us back at home. Many people i know went off to the war and fought hard leaving their families behind, i dont feel that they left for no reason.
I can not say i disagree with starting the war because there was conflict between our countries and threats to the US. There are many valid reasons why this war was unnecessary but i do feel the ammount of money and work paid off somewhat. Our country did not pay all that money for no reason. I do how ever feel that it is time to back of and out of this war before the effects start impacting the whole country more negatively.
James Menache Period 5
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Iraq war has affected my family specifically but it has definitely affected other US families. For example all the families who had someone in the war that died or was injured.
My personal opinion is no. The war was not worth fighting even though it was a victory. The number of people lost is much too high for it to be worth it, especially since it could have been avoided.
Veronica Kim
ReplyDelete1st period
3/21/2013
Personally, the Iraq War did not have much impact on my family. As a completely oblivious individual, I did not really pay much attention to the war going on half a world away. Of course I've heard of the effects - cough cough, does our rather fantastically huge national debt ring a bell? - but I don't feel I've been personally affected by it.
I don't think it was worth it. Yes, I would say it was a victory for the U.S., but at a really high cost. Why did the war start, anyways? Right, "weapons of mass destruction." And did those weapons actually exist? ... Nah. So, as I don't really see a point of starting a war, I don't think it was worth it to fight, even though we did win.
Blake Johnson
ReplyDelete2nd period
I think that the Iraq war changed the view on the Middle East of many Americans. Many Americans are now way more skeptical of people from the Middle East. Also many Americans now view on the Middle East as dangerous.
I don’t think that the Iraq war was worth it. I think the number of deaths and injured and amount of time ended up being too high. Also to find out that they didn’t actually have weapons of mass destruction kind of made the war seem more trivial.
Carly LeMoine
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The war in Iraq hasn’t really affected my family or me but it has definitely affected the government. It also affected the families of the people that went to fight for our country. I think that the Iraq war was a mistake that people are going to regret. The country most likely spent a lot of money on sending so many people to Iraq and on supplies, so they may have to try and find a way to get more money. So many amazing people were also lost in this war from both countries. Also now the have made an enemy. You don’t need violence. People should just learn to have a civilized conversation about the problem. You can get into an argument but I don’t think that running around and starting a war with people is a good idea.
Sophie Heins
ReplyDelete1
I personally was not affected by the war, but many families were torn apart. It was costly and really I don't think anyone was ever for it. This war killed tons of people, and was filled with unnecessary bloodshed.
I don't think the war was necessary. Really why would we ever get involved in such a fruitless venture. What did we have to gain? Sure oil, but really should we be relying on oil as a country still? Imagine if we as a nation relied on renewable resources wouldn't be a better place. So I don't really think we won the war.
Lillian Menkens-Weiler
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The war in Iraq has affected many people. It has affected the soldiers and the families of the soldiers, and it has really affected the lives of the citizens of Iraq. The war tore their country and their lives apart, and has really changed their lives. It has not really affected me directly, but it has affected the country and the government and how we deal with foreign events.
I do not think that the war was worth it. It is now 10 years later, and this war that has going on for most of my life still isn't completely clear to me. I think that the innocent Iraqi lives we have cost with this war are not worth it at all. I also think that we should avoid violence and war, not start it.
Casey Patterson
ReplyDelete3/20/13
Period 2
The war in iraq hasnt really effected my family that i know of. The main way it has effected me is give me a bad impression of muslims and people from middle eastern countries.
Troops on both ends of the fighting died, and for what? If we really wanted to get rid of threatening leaders in Iraq there are better ways to do it than war.I dont see why the united states found it necessary to get involved in something that currently didnt effect us. there are also more con than pros of the war.
The war in Iraq has not necessarily effected me or my family. I am very lucky and I do not know of anyone who had fought in Iraq and passed away during the war. I am friends with someone who's older brother passed in the war. It is very scary and I feel so sorry for any families who have lost the lives of their loved ones. I do know that the war has taken many lives of brave soldiers from America. It has also taken lots of money from our country, for the cost of weapons and everything
ReplyDeleteThis is a sensitive and controversial topic, but if I am being honest I do not think the war was neccesary. It has not really helped our country. No one asked for our help so I believe it was quite silly to enter their country. If we are going to send troops to another country there should be a very good reason, and we should make sure we are not just meddling. Unfortunately it seems that the only way the war affected our country was with a loss of lives and money.
McKenzie Matherly
ReplyDeleteThe war in Iraq has definitely made a significant impact on the United States of America. Not only was it extremely expensive, but the war between us also caused thousands of deaths or injuries. It has also affected the families living in Iraq and its other surrounding countries. It's hard to believe this war has lasted for ten long years, and I believe it has mostly impacted the family members of the brave soldiers who traveled to Iraq.
My personal opinion is no. The war was not worth fighting even though it was a victory. The number of people lost is much too high for it to be worth it, especially since it could have been avoided.
Anna Grace Kelley
ReplyDelete03/21/13
Period 7
Fortunately for me, I personally was not really affected by the war in Iraq. But, I do know people and families who have suffered through misery and desperation while their loved ones are overseas. It was awful to watch them in that state and it often made me wonder why we were even fighting this war. I know that there are many issues that needed to be resolved in Iraq, but I’m not sure that even the 10 years the United States of America was fighting over there did much. Thousands of people lost their lives and it just didn’t seem worth it to me.
This is a hard question to answer especially if I do not know much of the background information regarding the reason for the war. But in my opinion, many of the issues in the world can be resolved without war. I understand that war can sometimes be necessary in extreme cases, but this one didn’t seem worth it. It did nothing to help our country, killed thousands of people, and cost a ton of money. And what was the outcome? I don’t see much change in Iraq from the time we entered that country.
Claire Kern/PD.7
ReplyDeleteThe war in Iraq had no effect on my family except for the fact of us all knowing that many good people were dying for the war each day. For me it’s really just sad to think that we have been fighting others, losing family, and missing friends for 10 years now. I personally don’t think the country really appreciated the war anyway. There has been much controversy over whether it was really worth going to war, whether it was worth the cost, or whether it was worth losing all the soldiers
As to whether the war was worth fighting at all, I’m not sure. It was good that we got rid of the two enemies we had, but why we are still there, I don’t know. I’m sure the US government has a good reason (I hope), but I don’t really know if it was worth losing all the people we did. I’m not even one to talk about this reason anyway. If you talked to anyone who lost a friend or family member in the Iraq war, or any war, I’m sure they would not be in favor of the Iraq war too much. But all opinions on this matter vary, depending on how the war affected you. But, I personally never think war is a good solution.
Albert Yam
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
3/21/13
Personally I think the whole war is a stain in American history. The fact that there were no nuclear weapons makes us look bad as a country. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned.
Personally, I don't believe that the Iraq war was worth fighting, or at least not for that long. To have the war in the first place wasn't that bad of an idea because things did need to get settled with Iraq that couldn't be solved any other way. However, it has gone on for way to long. Wars in general to me seem to end up getting the world no where. However no matter if the U.S. received a victory or not at least the rest of the soldiers can return home safely and we don't have to continue fighting.
The war in Iraq doesn't really have any effect on my family, or me. Although, I feel very strongly about war, and violence. The thought of people dying for this countries protection is just heart breaking. The saddest thing I have experienced closest to war, is when I met a homeless veteran. It's so sad to know that he fought for years, and he sacrificed his life for this country, and now he is homeless in the country he fought his life for.
ReplyDeleteWas it worth it? Absolutely not. War should never be the answer, to ANYTHING. And the fact that this war was started over "weapons of mass destruction" that weren't even real, is even worse. The thought that so many people were killed and still are being killed over something that's not even real, is such a brutal thought, and makes me ashamed to live in this country. I absolutely think it was not worth it one bit. It is never worth it if lives are at risk. We should always be able to solve a crisis without killing people, if we can't, I think that should be a wake up to our country.
Sarah Taekman
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
We always commemorate a few violent dates in our history to remember our soldiers and citizens who died. However, this is not the case with the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq War. Much has changed in our country in those ten years. This war has not affected me personally or my family. But it has affected our country. People’s attitudes are much different towards people of the Middle East. Prior to the war, a Muslim woman wearing her headscarf would get maybe a glance or remark. But now, these poor women are sometimes greeted with hostility or like they’re alien. The war has made us view the whole country as enemies, when in reality it was a miniscule number of people we were fighting in Iraq. Also, many families have lost loved ones in a war that lasted much longer than it was supposed to. All this for a supposed weapon threat. Our country has definitely changed, though not necessarily for the better.
While our original purpose for beginning the war became pointless, we still did make some progress there. We helped them make a democracy and helped them maintain it for a bit. Now our work with that is over and they need to maintain it on their own. It was time to leave. Although we did not fulfill our starting motive, we did help out a bit.
Julia Perkins
ReplyDelete1st Period History
The Iraq war has affected thousands of lives overseas and in America since its beginning in 2003. Personally, I have not really been affected by the war, but I realize that I am lucky. There are thousands of American citizens whose family members or close friends serve overseas and have to suffer with never knowing if they will see their loved ones again. I think that overall in our country, the war has made many people feel more secure, especially considering all of the animosity towards middle eastern nations after the September 11th attacks. I think that in particular, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and more recently the killing of Osama Bin Laden help to make those who are worried about more terrorist attacks feel more secure.
I don't think that the war was a simple enough situation to say that it was or wasn't worth it. There are many aspects of the past decade that make a strong case that the war wasn't worth it; namely, the high death toll, financial drain and also the false reason for starting the whole thing (there weren't any WMDs in Iraq). However, now, Iraq is out of the hands of Hussein and his regime, and while there is still considerable turmoil between the Sunnis and the Shiites, the overall political system is in a position to continue to be more stable than it was under Hussein's dictatorship. Overall, though, I think that the war was not begun for nothing, even though there were no WMDs; disposing of Hussein was an event of great significance and impact. But, I don't know why we stuck around for ten years afterwards. It seems to me that while the war itself wasn't worthless, we didn't need to occupy their country for as long as we did. Also I don't think you can call it a victory, because it's not like we conquered new land and our own homeland was never attacked in this war, so while our country achieved the installation of new power in Iraq, we didn't exactly win.
Liayshia Lloyd
ReplyDelete7th Honors World History
Well, At the beginning, I think just about everyone viewed Muslims differently. Personally I did, growing up hearing about the 911 attack, Because as we all know they did attack the U.S. But, 10 years later, I realize that you can't just all of the Muslims for what that particular group did.
I now have a change at heart, all weren't responsible.
In 2003 the war started and I think we all wondered what the outcome may have been, now that its over, many families are still grieving from the deaths and troops that have been hurt while serving our country. There is a sense of security now, but I think we ALL have that fear of it happening again.
I do and don't think the war was worth it. Simply because i think there could've been other alternatives or something that wouldn't have involved more U.S citizens. But they did what they had to do. So its more complicated to explain how I feel about it.
Iraq seemed to be fully prepared for this, and to me they really didn't care about losing people. But 10 years is FAR too long to fight a war we technically loss.
Lily E.
ReplyDeleteWH7
We lost thousands of soldiers to the war, whose families have suffered. In addition, the war drove up our national debt. many people would argue that that money could have been better spent improving things in our own country.
I don't think that a war that began due to inaccurate intelligence (as there were, in fact, no WMDs) was worth all the bloodshed and $728 billion. If the intention was to overthrow a despotic leader, it could have been done in a different way. It seems that because of the inaccurate intelligence, the army was a little unsure of what to do. In the case of a war that involves occupying a foreign country and disrupting the lives of the people there, I think that accurate information needs to be a priority.
Nathan Guskiewicz
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The Iraq war has definitely made an impact on our country, the United States of America. The war was very costly in money and life. The Iraq war forced the people of America to examine and question if the war was worth it or not. It caused many controversies between citizens over if the war was right or not. The war didn’t have a big impact on my family, no one we knew fought in it. Still, I think my family was against starting the war with Iraq. The same can be said for me, I question the necessity of the war.
I do not think the Iraq war was worth fighting for our country. First of all, it turns out our information was false and Iraq didn’t posses nuclear weapons. So the why were we fighting. I do understand that we were combating terrorism and violence in Iraq, but I believe the war was far too costly in money and American lives. Sometimes we just have to step away from things to avoid costly consequences. I also don’t believe the US won the Iraq war because we gave up so much and accomplished little.
Emily Molina
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I do not feel like the Iraq war has affected me a lot. Maybe it has taught me to be a bit more cautious in some ways, but nothing entirely drastic. The war has brought terrible stereotypes to the surface, so I have had to ignore those hurtful remarks (although they were not directed at me, it is still painful to hear sometimes). As for my family, we have always had a history of our members joining the military. One of my direct relatives was actually in Iraq a few years ago. It makes you appreciate how fortunate you are to have a close family. It is a bit scary to be expecting a phone call one night and it not come. You honestly think the worst. The war seems to have made my family more appreciative for its members and all the honorable people who have served their country and sometimes paid a great price because of it. These points are probably true for the USA as a whole. The informed people have probably become more cautious and thankful for their families. But stereotypes also seemed to have wormed their way into our vocabulary and social norms, which I think is entirely unacceptable. The Iraq war may have permanently warped our perception of Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.
If we did in Iraq what we were hoping to accomplish in the first place, which it seems we have, then I would say that the war was worth the effort. America did a good thing by helping Iraq find its own voice, not the commands of a single oppressive leader. Although the death toll was quite high, I think that that will always be the case with any big goal or operation. Freedoms, rights, and other luxuries always come at a price. But at the same time, I cannot fully relate to the families that have lost loved ones in the war. I cannot comprehend their pain, so I do not know the suffering they went through. From my view, the war was worth it because I did not directly feel its impacts. If I were a part of a family broken by a death in the war, I may feel differently.
The only way that the war in Iraq has affected me is through news stories and heightened security at airports. I do not have any family members fighting in the war. However, I believe that this war has done a lot of damage on the American people. We are now prejudiced against and afraid of anything vaguely Middle Eastern. We live paralyzed by the fear that terrorist will get up and kill us in our beds.
ReplyDeleteWe need to realize that things are kind of ok. There are no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq. They are not about to come over and bomb us. Frankly, this war was pointless. The intent was to rid Saddam Hussien of WMDs to protect ourselves. Hello, no WMDs. No point. If we had simply been aiming to chuck Hussien out, there are much less violent measures to try first, such as economic sanctions. Less life wasted that way.
Anna Zurliene
ReplyDelete7th period
News log #22
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Personally, neither I nor my family has really been affected by the war. I honestly didn’t even know if it was still happening or not. It just seemed so surreal to me because there never was any big news that I heard about it and I didn’t know anyone fighting in it. Plus when I think of wars, it seems like something that would happen back and forth between countries, but we have had no damage done directly to our country. I completely acknowledge that thousands have died and it really does make me feel grief and guilt that I wasn’t more aware of what was going on. With that said, our country I think has changed tremendously from it. We have lost thousands of lives and left families broken, which I think is one of the greatest losses our country can face with war. Then there is the obvious amount of money we pay to send troops over to Iraq, for weaponry and transportation, and for what?
I still don’t understand much about the Iraqi war, but from what I am hearing and because I don’t know anything about it tells me it wasn’t worth fighting. I don’t hear about either countries really having benefit from it as there is still much conflict between the people of Iraq not to mention some of the contribution of a bad rep to the whole Middle East. I always grew up thinking those countries were not very good places and were filled with bad people but I never understood why (except for 9-11) and now I see we were the ones who intruded on their country and were fighting their people so they had to do something to defend themselves. To me this war was a waste of energy, money and most importantly, lives as I see no prevailing benefits for either country.
Saane Chamberlin-Finau
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
3-21-13
1) My family is the kind of family that strongly supports the marines. My grandparent live in Jacksonville, NC, mitts away from Camp Legume. Our family goes on the base and meets the soldiers and generals. We do anything we ca to help. The ten years war has just showed us how hard these soldiers work for their country.
2) I wish that America did not have to fight for this. Sadly, i think we need make sure that america is safe and can be safe in future time. I think it is worth fighting for. I know that it is a bad thing to say, to say that war is what it takes. I don't want war to be the answer, but there are many people here who counts on these people to keep their lives safe.
Claire Lancaster
ReplyDelete1st period
Mr. Waters
1) The Iraq war has not changed my family or me directly because we are not related to or know anyone who fought in the war. Obviously, we’ve all seen the thousands of lives lost and of course that emotionally impacts all of us. Not only are we affected emotionally, but our economy has also been affected, and certainly not for the better.
2) My opinion personally is that most wars aren’t worth fighting and killing people over. I really don’t think this war was necessary for America to put that much money, time, and lives into. Also, I think any situation where lives are lost isn’t a victory. When I really think in depth about this we didn’t really gain anything, so that being said no, it most certainly was not a victory.
Joyce Yao
ReplyDelete2nd period
The war in Iraq has been a popular topic for the past ten years. Routinely, you'd find news of happenings in Iraq: deaths, bombs, havoc. This war, like all others, resulted in thousands of deaths and terrible destruction. What was this war for? Certainly not what we got out of it.
I do not know anyone who was in the war, but it did affect my family and America in a different form than physical inflictions: debt. America spent a bunch of money to fund the war, not raising taxes (which wouldn't be good either) and BORROWING money from others (which is bad if you can't pay them back!) ergo we are in a huge deficit. This way contributed much to our wrecked economy. The war also increased the price of gas which was no help to us citizens. This war should have never happened, in my opinion. It hurt more than it helped our country. Could this outcome have been anticipated? Perhaps, but even so, the reasons to initiate this war were not valid. No war has a victor. Everyone lost the battle in the form of brave soldiers, civilian deaths, war-torn cities, and the huge money loss. The worst part is, people are still dying in events concerning this very topic. This war affected our country in the form of stereotypes, as well. The word "terrorist" and "(suicide) bombings" and others of the same sort have been tossed around more often than in the 19th century. This war has fueled that stereotype and stained the image of Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. War itself is upsetting and sickening and painful. It affects everyone and it's never for the better. No one wants to lose their loved ones, have to pay more taxes and pay more for gas, or constantly have to hear about the awful events going on overseas. But when we started this war, that's what happened and we are now suffering the repercussions. We are being hit with the backlash of war, and it will be a while until things start to get better.
3/21
ReplyDeleteJeffrey He
World History
Period 7
Waters
1. I definitely think there was a large impact on the country after 10 years of fighting. That is a lot of unnecessary taxpayer dollars going towards nothing. We pretty much got involved in something that was none of our business. The war was very costly in money (an estimated 728 billion dollars) and many American soldiers were killed or wounded. I don't think the war has affected us aside from taxes, but it should not have been fought.
2. Honestly, the Iraq War was a huge waste of life, time, and money/resources. The United States invested way too heavily in something unnecessary. But in my opinion, many of the issues in the world can be resolved without war. I understand that war can sometimes be necessary in extreme cases, but this one didn’t seem worth it. It made life in Iraq terrible, especially those not involved. A victory, but a moral and resource defeat.
Harrison Young
ReplyDelete7th Period
3/22/13
We have suffered many terrible losses and have lost a little bit of our national pride. The war was very expensive and cost a lot from our country. It's difficult to believe that the war in Iraq has lasted for just about ten years. I know that many families and the United States as a whole has been affected each and every day that we continue to fight.Personally, I don't believe that the Iraq war was worth fighting, or at least not for that long. To have the war in the first place wasn't that bad of an idea because things did need to get settled with Iraq that couldn't be solved any other way. However, it has gone on for way to long. Wars in general to me seem to end up getting the world no where. However no matter if the U.S. received a victory or not at least the rest of the soldiers can return home safely and we don't have to continue fighting.
Kurt Gee
ReplyDelete7th period
The war in Iraw hasn't really efected me or my family because my family wasn't in the army so I would't fear the death of any of my family members. The war definitely affected many epople in America because family members lost people and when we won, it gave the US confidence and more strength. The war cost the US 728 billion dollars and many lost troops, but the victory did pay off in the end.
I think the war in Iraq was worth it because the US got the victory and Iraq shouldn't be a problem for a while. It did cost the US lots of money and lost of important troops, but they sacrificed their lives for us and the victory. On the flip side, we have made the whole entire Middle East hate us even more, send drones out, and kill thousands of civillians. We have gotten rid of an enemy, but made many more
Forrest Pratson
ReplyDelete7th period
3.21.13
the iraq war hasn't really affected me and my family but i see from the media that it just makes people angry when ever you here about the iraq war you hear about how much a waste of money and time for the united states army but the recent victory has made many people proud of america
i think it was in fact worth it because you cant put a price on people believing in our nation that is truly priceless and iraq was a sort of warning sign to other Mideast countries that we are a strong nation and if you threaten us we will take you down
Robert Fernald
ReplyDelete1st period
3/22/2013
The Iraq war has not affected me or my family because only know one person who has served in the war and the came home fine. I think that it seems like a waste of money because we are fighting a war for another country. I think that the USA should start worrying more about defending our own country and stop invading other countries and starting wars.
I think that the Iraq war was not worth it because we just invaded a country and started another war. Also we just made the middle-easterns more mad at us. I think that we should stop wasting our money on fighting other peoples wars and start protecting ourselfs.
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10 years later I think the Iraq war has led me to believe that some things aren’t worth fighting for, and that sometimes you have reason to be worried but somethings aren’t worth worrying about.
ReplyDeleteNot for ten years was it worth fighting for and in the end it was a win/win because now we are allies.
Valeria Campos-Diaz
ReplyDelete1st period
3-22-2013
Since this war as been going on for 10 years it has caused major in change in not only the United States and Middle East but also all over the world. In the United States, thousands of lives have been lost destroying famillies everywhere. Also, this war has costed the US a lot of money that we don't have, about 728 billion dollars. Not only is there lost in life for the US but iinnocent civilians of Iraq that have been caught in crosse fire. The war had a rather big impact on my family when my uncle joined forces. He serves in the Navy and has been stationed in Iraq for 2 years now. The main question is why does this war countinue to happen if in the news people say that peace is being brought to these countries. Somthing isn't being told to us on the progress of the war.
I think the Iraq war was worth fighting for. Was. Not anymore. It seems strange that the war has stayed in progress after all these years. I beleive that many americans needed the death of bin Laden and Hussain as a sort of closer to 9/11 and the other terrorists attacks. Howver, I think that now those two people dont exsist anymore, I think the war should come to an end.
Emily Ball
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
3/22/2013
In the last 10 years, the US has been in the middle of a war in Iraq. It has costed us 728 billion dollars, and thousands of american lives. This war has taken a serious toll on the army, but it hasn't impacted that many people outside of families with members in the army very much. I know for one, that it hasn't really impacted my family or me at all. We don't know anyone who is in the army, let alone know someone who has gotten wounded or killed.
I think that the Iraq war was a total waste of time. We did accomplished a few good things, one of which happened in the first year or two in the war, which was killing Sadaam Hussein. Killing Osama bin-Laden was important, but that was not even in Iraq. On the flip side, we have made the whole entire Middle East hate us even more, send drones out, and kill thousands of civillians. We have gotten rid of an enemy, but made many more.
I definitely think that the war has had a large effect on America costing us billions of taxpayer money, along with thousands of faithful americans fighting for their country. It has a taken a toll on the armuy along with thousands of families. The toll has been great and unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe war along with being the longest war in american history, is also close to the most unnecessary, trailing Vietnam by a little. The only thing that we accomplished in 10 years was killing ONE Al-Quaeda leader, who is replaced by people who have the same ideals of him.
Blake Rasnake
ReplyDelete2nd
The war that has gone on in Irag has not effected my family with the loss of people. I do know people that have gone to Iraq and they have came back safely. I do think that it has effected the United States very much! The bad thing is that we have lost so my people in the war but the good thing is that we killed Osama Bin Laden. The war has effected so many family's all over the United States. We can not and we will not ever forget the people that have died in the war.
For the fist couple of years I do think that the war was worth it because we had to protect out country. Afters about 4 years I think that the war was not worth it because we lost to many people. It was great that we where able to kill Osama Bin Laden. The loss of life just about evened that killing out. After we killed Osama Bin Laden we needed to start getting people out of the war and back home with there family's.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIan Hufford
ReplyDelete3-22-13
After 10 years, I can say that besides the ocational mention, the war in Iraq has not affected my family directly. We, of course, were saddened by the tremendous loss of life that is an affect of any war. The economy has been affected for the worse, and that affects us everyday.
As for if I think that the war was worth fighting, I really don’t know enough about the war to come to a conclusion, but I will say that I don’t think that many wars are worth 4,500 lives, and that we need to try and come up with better ways to solve our problems. I think that many issues can be resolved without war, or armed conflict.
This current event is about how this week marks ten years anniversary of the war in Iraq. The war accomplished many things like they removed a despotic regime. Actually no one was went to the military in my family. But i do know people who were in the military and went to war in Iraq. Many people sacrificed their lives and went to war. I think it was worth it in some ways because they killed Osama Bin Laden, but i think it wasn't worth it also because in this war many people died and those who did not die suffered.
ReplyDeleteGeorge McBurney
ReplyDelete5th
Personally I believe the whole war is a stain in American history. The fact that there were no nuclear weapons makes us look bad as a country. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned.
When you compare the pros and the cons of the whole situation it is easy to see whether or not it was worth it. Troops on both ends of the fighting died, and for what? If we really wanted to get rid of threatening leaders in Iraq there are better was to do it than war.
1) In my opinion I think that the war between Iraq and the US. Made a large amount of change. There was lots of money spend in the war and USA economy went down because of the war and many soldiers were killed.
ReplyDelete2) In my opinion I believe that the war with Iraq was not worth it because it turned out that they didn't have any nuclear weapons and many life's were lost because of a false accusation that USA had.
Isabelle Alzona
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The war in Iraq took a lot longer than anyone expected. I was a small child when the war started, I didn't know there was a "before the war." The Iraq war hasn't effected me physically, or hurt anyone I know, but it has taken it's mental toll. Growing up hearing the tragedies and wanting to help the people in need gave me the will to help. I even thought of the air force for a while. But going into service takes commitment and a certain bravery I don't have. The war in Iraq has certainly changed my thoughts though. I think the bravery in our service men and women has sparked something in everyone. A passion to help our fellow Americans and fight for what's right. The war has shown the American citizens that if it wasn't for our protectors, we wouldn't be able to come home to our white picket fences and have our neighbors over for dinner. The Iraq war has given us a respect for our veterans and service men and women.
The Iraq war was worth it. If the American people all of a sudden thought it was a waste of time and resources, would that mean the lives lost were a waste too? If America believed that, we would disrespect our lost heroes. The Iraq war was worth it because it was a fight for rights. It started as a rumor gone wrong, but in the end we fought for something equally as important. Had it not been for America, people would still be under a dictatorship, rights would be discarded, and terrorists would still be at large. Do you want the Empire State building to fall? If America hadn't reacted, for right or wrong reasons, we would still be under a huge national security threat.
Rebecca Harless
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
March 22, 2012
Ten years later, I think the Iraq War has changed a lot in me, my family, and my country. For my country, I think that it has made us more open to the fact that we should be extremely careful with waging wars and with intelligence, which erred many times, it seems, in the war. I think that for this country, it has also divided us with our opinions on the war, whether we should continue to fight or not, etc. In my family, I do not really know. When I was younger, and the war was still really discussed, I do not remember what my family’s opinions were. All I know is that it was discussed, and then it kind of sadly faded into the background, like many big things do. In me, the war has changed the way I see the world. I have seen interesting, heart-wrenching, and disturbing images produced from the war, and then I think that those images came from real people, facing the damages of war. This war, I think, has possibly made me more of a pacifist.
There are reasons why, and why not, the Iraq War was worth fighting. With so many lives lost, and more continuing to be lost, though one of the sources in the article declared this war as an opportunity—be it good or bad—I think that this war has led to too many people abusing that opportunity. I think that we did not clean up well, and with so much violence still going on, we are left with a civil war as the outcome of opportunity. That being said, I think that the war was worth fighting for the getting rid of of Saddam Hussein and for the knowledge for our military of preparing for counterinsurgency. According to the article, Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction, but I am glad that Iraq is now able to become a democracy. Nevertheless, the toll of lives, money, and unhappiness brought upon the U.S. and Iraq are not enough to say that this was a victory for the U.S. Victories with thousands of dead bodies do not seem victorious.
Hope Davison, 1st
ReplyDeleteThe effects of the Iraqi War in America, namely money and the loss of lives, provide the question for people to ask if this war was worth starting. These issues are not something to think over lightly; families have been broken apart from the loss of loved ones and the US has racked up an enormous cost for this war. However, the death of Hussein has set some Americans to peace about the event of 9/11 and the bitterness that was left behind. My family and myself have not been majorly affected.
It isn’t black and white, for me, to categorize this monstrous war. I do not think the US should have engaged in this war for as long as it did, but I understand why they could not just ignore the potential threats of weapons of mass destruction. The war has also provided Iraq with a somewhat stable political system; had we not stepped in, who knows what political chaos could have erupted after the death of Hussein, leaving Iraq with no leader. However, what this country sacrificed was extremely major for the sake of the outcomes of the war.
Shomya Mitra
ReplyDelete5th Period
The Iraq war has definitely impacted America in countless ways. It has sparked several disagreements on whether or not the war is worth fighting. The Iraq war has also impacted the citizens of America. The lives of the families of those that are fighting would change permanently the day they learned that their child, parent, sibling or spouse would sail overseas to a foreign land they may never return from. Also, it has affected me because it has been one of the most heated political debates in recent history. When people start talking about it, there are always large arguments if they disagree over the effectiveness of it. This happens to me frequently.
Within a few years of the invasion, Iraq spiraled into chaos, fueled by a growing insurgency and the increasingly deadly sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites. Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians lost their lives, with some estimates as high as 100,000. Although the level of violence is no longer what it was when the U.S. military was in Iraq, terrorist bombings are still a common occurrence in Iraq. It is believed that as many as 200 Iraqis died in violent attacks in February. These numbers are unacceptable, and I think the war has been completely pointless and unnecessary.
David cho
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
March 22
In the last 10 years, the US has been in the middle of a war in Iraq. It has costed us 728 billion dollars, and thousands of american lives. This war has taken a serious toll on the army, but it hasn't impacted that many people outside of families with members in the army very much. I know for one, that it hasn't really impacted my family or me at all. We don't know anyone who is in the army, let alone know someone who has gotten wounded or killed.
I think that the Iraq war was a total waste of time. We did accomplished a few good things, one of which happened in the first year or two in the war, which was killing Sadaam Hussein. Killing Osama bin-Laden was important, but that was not even in Iraq. On the flip side, we have made the whole entire Middle East hate us even more, send drones out, and kill thousands of civillians. We have gotten rid of an enemy, but made many more.
I feel the Iraq war has severely impacted our country. I just heard on the radio yesterday that a war veteran from the Iraq war was pumped up to go and seek revenge against terrorist groups. Instead he was sent to the war. In the first month he and his division came under fire and he was the only one to survive, to be paralyzed for forever. He made a speech later about the war and had to put his head between his knees every twenty seconds because he got light-headed. Finally he felt he should just stop his life and stopped eating.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think the war was worth fighting, the U.S.A. is not really amazing anymore. We have a 16 trillion dollar debt. There is no need to be the nice guy anymore. Let other more wealthy nations interfere if they want, like China. We shouldn't be involved in their business anyway. One of the quotes of wisdom is "Mind your own business". They will sort it out, if Saddam Hussein took power, people would eventually revolt and win, as they have throughout history. People do not live under oppression, they will rebel. Therefore, I think that this war was a complete waste of time, resources, and energy.
Annelise ter Horst
ReplyDelete7th
I do not believe that the wars have changed me. None of my family has been to or been close to someone who has been in the wars in Iraq. It probably sounds like I am heartless person for saying that it hasn’t ‘changed’ me. But it is true, all I really have experienced from these wars was through what my parents and what media has told me. I cannot pretend to even perceive what those soldiers had to go through, while I am here in my sheltered life.
It has definitely changed our country; through crippling expenses of wasted money, and most importantly, lives.
I believe that at first, the Iraq Wars were worth fighting, but after the US got answers they kept fighting. That is what was the think not worth it. And in no way do I believe that this was a victory, even with the minor accomplishments made. I can’t imagine what costs the US had to pay throughout the whole period of fighting, and even now. This is totally over dramatic, but there are no words for it.
Francis Wemmenhove
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
The Iraq war has definitely made an impact on the United States of America. It has cost the United States a lot of money and a lot of lives. The war also led to some disagreements about if the war was really worth it or not. The war has not really impacted my family that much except for the security at airports. I believe that the Iraq war was not worth fighting. The reason why we started to fight the war was not even true, so there really was no purpose. Although the United States did technically ‘win’ the war, they did not really accomplish that much by winning except for the war finally being over.
Francisco Coch
ReplyDelete7
A decade after the US’ invasion of Iraq, I think that the war overall was a wasted effort. In the article, it stated that at the beginning of the war, America’s focus in Iraq was to rid the country of terrorism, and secure it’s nuclear weapons inventory. Years later, the terrorism continues, and the information on the nuclear weapons located in the country were deemed inaccurate. Later in the article, the quotes from those interviewed say how the US’ original goal was to establish a better relationship with Iraq, and create a democracy for the people. These two perspectives show the extensive controversy surrounding the issue.
I think that the war was not at all worth fighting, and that the cost of it greatly outnumbers what was gained. The statistics listed over 4,000 American deaths, tens of thousands more wounded, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilian casualties because of the conflict. The numbers predicted by the pentagon showing the physical cost of the war suggest that it almost accounts for one fifteenth of this nation’s growing fifteen trillion dollar debt. For me, thousands and thousands of deaths, along with a significant addition to the national deficit, and the widespread violence that resulted from the attacks do not make this war a victory.
Alex Parks
ReplyDelete1st period
3/22/2013
The Iraq war has not affected me or my family because only know one person who has served in the war and the came home fine. I think that it seems like a waste of money because we are fighting a war for another country. I think that the USA should start worrying more about defending our own country and stop invading other countries and starting wars.
I think that the Iraq war was not worth it because we just invaded a country and started another war. Also we just made the middle-easterns more mad at us. I think that we should stop wasting our money on fighting other nations wars and start protecting ourselves.
Noah Johnson
ReplyDeletePeriod-1
Honors World History
The Iraq war has caused many people to be scared of the U.S. I personally don’t trust our country because I don’t believe the people that are running our government can be trusted with the power we have given them. The people in power are there to make the world a better place by listening to the voters and doing what is recommended to them. the Iraq war has caused extremism to become pervasive throughout our country. You see it every where even if you do not recognize it. You see it every day when you are at school, driving home, online, anywhere. Our politicians want to: “be strong on crime” “Crack down on drugs” “Take down terrorists”. In doing this they have abridged on many of our sensibilities. It wounds good if twice as many people are being put in jail for drugs because we have stricter laws but what if those new people are kids or people with a disability. Kids can’t vote for a reason, they don’t have the same level of judgement as adults. If kids aren’t going to get the same rights as adults then don’t punish us as adults.
This is an odd question. I think the Iraq war had good results but it also had bad ones. The Iraq war allowed Iraq to be free of a dictator but at the cost of over 3000 lives. The results of the Iraq war were mostly good but the way they came about was in a accidental manner. The original goal and the process that was used to attempt to complete that goal was flawed and resulted in a high body count and a high debt. I honor those who have died in this conflict but i truly hope, in the future, that we can avoid a situation like this.
Emily Chang
ReplyDelete3/22/13
pd. 1
The war did not directly impact me or my family, but its effects still linger over the entire country. Wars are costly and the Iraq war was no exception. This was contributed to our national debt, which affects the entire nation.
I would say we did win the war, but it isn't really a victory to be celebrated. Sure, we thought there were weapons that could have been a threat, but it turns out they didn't exist. There wasn't really a reason to fight the war and we certainly don't wage wars just to win. The Iraq war resulted in a loss of life for a practically nonexistent cause so I don't believe that is was worth it.
Morgan Durant
ReplyDeletePeriod One
1) The war in Iraq has not affected me or my family. I have no Family members or close friends who died, were wounded or fought in the war and I have never heard my family talk about the war and how it has affected them personally. However due to the high cost of the war my family may be slightly poorer with the war going on as they would have to pay for it with taxes but it would only affect them marginally. as far as the nation goes i think that the war has affected many families and the nation is probably in even more debt but by looking at the comments it seems to me that most americans are still unaffected by the war.
2) I do not think the war was worth the fight after removing Sadaam Hussein from power. It has cost billions, we made enimies with other nations in the middle east. even if Bin laden is dead the new leader has all the same ideals and goals. the civilians are still under bad government and terrorism and we have gained more debt overall we are worse of after fighting ten years
Danielle Reviere
ReplyDelete5th
I think the biggest impact was the cost and the number of soldiers lost. According to the article it cost us 728 billion dollars. Also so many soldiers were lost, and the ones who came back saw things that have most likely scared them for life. None of this really affected me personally though.
I think that what the US did needed to be done, but I think that they could have planned better and could have had more reliable information. I think that the US accomplished what the plan originally was, but I do not think that the US won.
Paige Jones
ReplyDeleteperiod 2
3/22/13
1. The Iraq war has definitely made an impact on our country, the United States of America. The war was very costly in money (estimated 728 billion dollars) and life (many American soldiers were killed or wounded). The Iraq war forced the people of America to examine and question if the war was worth it or not. It caused many controversies between citizens over if the war was right or not. The war didn’t have a big impact on my family, no one we knew fought in it. Still, I think my family was against starting the war with Iraq. The same can be said for me, I question the necessity of the war.
2. Personally, I do not think the Iraq war was worth fighting for our country. First of all, it turns out our information was false and Iraq didn’t posses nuclear weapons. So the why were we fighting? I do understand that we were combating terrorism and violence in Iraq, but I believe the war was far too costly in money and American lives. Sometimes we just have to step away from things to avoid costly consequences. I also don’t believe the US won the Iraq war because we gave up so much and accomplished little.
The Iraq war has impacted the United States of America greatly. As for my family and I, it has not impacted it significantly. From an fiscal standpoint, the lasting war has costed our country nearly 728 billion dollars. We, as a country, cannot afford that as we are already over 15 trillion dollars in debt. Any more may cause potential government shutdowns, which has almost happens a number of times due to the deficit. The war has also impacted the lives of the US Army. Many lives have been lost fighting for this cause.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that supporting the Iraq War is necessary, but as we are allies with a lot of foreign countries, not helping would be viewed as backstabbing. Terrorism is the most likely cause for this war besides diplomacy, but the war against terrorism is not a war that we can afford to have. Once again, being in over 15 trillion dollars of debt, supporting a war may not be the best idea, from a fiscal standpoint.
A decade after the US’ invasion of Iraq, I think that the war overall was a wasted effort. In the article, it stated that at the beginning of the war, America’s focus in Iraq was to rid the country of terrorism, and secure it’s nuclear weapons inventory. Years later, the terrorism continues, and the information on the nuclear weapons located in the country were deemed inaccurate. Later in the article, the quotes from those interviewed say how the US’ original goal was to establish a better relationship with Iraq, and create a democracy for the people. These two perspectives show the extensive controversy surrounding the issue.
ReplyDeleteI think that the war was not at all worth fighting, and that the cost of it greatly outnumbers what was gained. The statistics listed over 4,000 American deaths, tens of thousands more wounded, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilian casualties because of the conflict. The numbers predicted by the pentagon showing the physical cost of the war suggest that it almost accounts for one fifteenth of this nation’s growing fifteen trillion dollar debt. For me, thousands and thousands of deaths, along with a significant addition to the national deficit, and the widespread violence that resulted from the attacks do not make this war a victory.
Nikki Thai
ReplyDelete1st Period
3.22.13
The war in Iraq doesn't really have any effect on my family, or me. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned. Although, I feel very strongly about war, and violence, the thought of people dying for this countries protection is just heartbreaking. The war has made us view the whole country as enemies, when in reality it was just a misunderstanding due to lack of proper communication and understanding. Our country has definitely changed, though not necessarily for the better.
There are many aspects of the war. While our original purpose for beginning the war became pointless, we still did make some progress there. We helped them make a democracy and helped them maintain it for a bit. Now our work with that is over and they need to maintain it on their own. It was time to leave. Although we did not fulfill our starting motive, we did help out a bit. But overall, I don't think it was worth it.
Sam Nielsen
ReplyDelete1st Period
1. The war in Iraq has had a great impact on many people, as well as our country as a whole. Personally though, it has not affected me greatly as, fortunately, I have no relatives or family friends who fought over there. One somewhat indirect effect it has had on me, is that I grew up hearing about how the US was messing up. This served to minimize any feelings of patriotism that I may have acquired as a child. I do not believe I live in a bad country, though I never really thought of it as a great one.
2. Perhaps ridding Iraq of Saddam Hussein's regime was a positive thing, but the way it was carried out, and the way the US represented itself in the endeavor served to put a very bad light on it. One of the primary reasons the US had for heading into Iraq was that Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons. Later on, this was found to be false, severely damaging the war's legitimacy. I believe that the war also could have been handled much better. I do not really know anything about military conflicts, but it seems that if things had been dealt with more carefully, and if we had been prepared for any backlash, the war would have been considered a success. It did not pan out like this, so, despite the fact that we technically "won" I do not think that we really succeeded.
Hanna Siekierski
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
3/22/13
The Iraq war has most definitely had an impact in the United States. This war has been very costly when it comes to money ($728 billion) and the lives of many American. The Iraq war has forced American citizens to examine and question whether this war has been worth it or. Many controversies between citizens have been aroused by this, debating whether it was right to have the war or not. Overall this war has not had a big impact on my family. No one we knew fought in it. Nevertheless, I think my family was against the idea of beginning a war with Iraq. I can also say the same for me. I also question whether it was necessary to have this war.
In my opinion, I do not think the Iraq war was worth fighting. First of all, it turns out our information was inaccurate and Iraq didn't actually possess nuclear weapons. Which brings up the question: Why were we fighting? I do understand that we were fighting against terrorism and violence in Iraq, but I believe the war was far too costly (both in money and American lives). Sometimes there are events from which we just have to step away from things to avoid costly consequences, and this was one of them. I also don’t believe the U.S. won the Iraq war because we gave up so much and accomplished little.
Gavin Rothwell
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
The Iraq war has definitely made an impact on our country. The war was very costly in money and lives. It caused many controversies between citizens over if the war was right or not. The war didn’t have a big impact on my family, as no one we knew fought in it. Still, I think my family was against starting the war with Iraq. The same can be said for me. I question the necessity of the Iraq war.
I do not think the Iraq war was worth fighting for our country. First of all, it turns out our information was false and Iraq didn’t posses nuclear weapons. So there was no point in us fighting them. I do understand that we were combating terrorism and violence in Iraq, but I believe the war was far too costly in money and American lives. Sometimes we just have to step away from things to avoid costly consequences. I also don’t believe the US won the Iraq war because we gave up so much and accomplished so little.
Alexis Ramirez
ReplyDeleteHonors World History
3-22-13
1st period
1) The Iraq war has not really affect my family or me. It didn't change really anything for us, but that the Iraq war was too expensive to America to do. What was affected the most is the economy. It has gotten worse since then.
2) What I think is that it was not worth fighting for although we have a victory. All those who died for our country should of not be lost. I do not understand why the United States should of have went to war in the first, just for going to attack a leader when there is more after that. I wasn't necessary. I think we should stop using money to make, buy, fight with weapons and use the money for better things instead of fighting with other nations, and to protect ourselves.
The Iraq war has defiantly impacted the United States of America. It has costed our countries billions of dollars. Not to mention the millions of lives the war has costed us. Also if the soldiers don't die in the war then there is always the possibility of being seriously wounded or getting a mental illness. The war has not directly me or my family. I think my family and I are really impartial about the war.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think the war in Irag might actually be a good thing. We in Irag are currently fighting a war on terrorism. We are hunting down terrorist organizations. This could prevent future attacks on our or other countries. Also wars provide jobs. This war, will it might cost money, is stimulating our economy as well. In Iraq we are also able to help the citizens of the country as well.
Avery Scope-Crafts
ReplyDeleteP.1
Personally, I think the war in Iraq affected a lot of people. So many American soldiers died there, and even more came back wounded. Even if you don’t know it though, the war affected everyone. Prices had to be raised in order to pay for the war. Not a lot of people I knew went away to the war, but I still am deeply saddened by this whole war.
I think starting the war was honestly the right thing to do. However, we needed to do a better jod ending it. We should have just gotten it, done what we needed to do, and left. This war left many dead and cost huge amounts of money. On the contrary, I think it’s time to back off and get out of this war, before the effects of it get any worse.
The iraq war has had an extreme impact on every Americans life. Some may not be constantly aware of it, but the repercussions of the war have changed the world we live in. I myself have several member of my family currently serving in the armed forces, so I am constantly confronted with the grim reality of war. However, the effects should be clear to anyone. 728 billion dollars have gone into this endeavor, which is quite a large sum, at any time. There have been national disagreements across the nation, which have sparked protests and riots. Any riotous population is a bad idea for any form of government.
ReplyDeleteThe disagreements have all been over one question: "Was it worth it?". Personally, I think it is impossible to answer this question when speaking of the war in general. If I was asked if a specific goal of the war was accomplished, I could give a yes or a no answer. If i was asked whether the loss of life was worth the amount of lives saved, I could give a yes or a no answer. However, I believe that this issue is too complex to quantify in such a simplistic setting.
Elise Dixon
ReplyDeleteHonors World History
5th period
In my family, I do not think that much has changed, we will sometimes talk about it, but that is all. Concerning the country, it has changed a lot. The price of sending all of those troops over to fight in a war is very high. We also have many people that have been devastated by their family member going to fight in the Iraq war but never coming back. In our country, there has been, for 10 years now, a dispute on wether or not our country should even be fighting in the war.
Wether or not if it was worth fighting in the Iraq war, I have no idea. On one side, we did some things, like overthrow hussein and stop his army that was causing much trouble for the civilians. On another side, having the United States of America join the war in Iraq was completely pointless. A decent amount of people died, and we took a very long tome fighting in the war while slowly, it was sucking up the money that the Government had to pay for the war to happen on our side.
Keith Segars
ReplyDeletePD 2
I think that The Iraq war has changed a lot in this country and it’s people. In my family and me it has changed a lot. I have had a few cousins in my mom’s side of the family that served during the Iraq war. I have also had one family member that was struck and killed by an IED while serving in Iraq. America as a whole has also changed due to the war. America has lost many soldiers in the war. The war has also put a heavy financial burden on America. The United States has had to spend money that could have been used on education and research.
I personally think the first part of the war was worth it. I don’t think it was worth the money after the U.S. captured Saddam Hussein and restored the government in Iraq they should have left Iraq and the Middle East. I think instead the military should have sent elite teams of troops to kill high value targets rather than an entire army. This would have been much more effective and cost much less than an entire army. I think the Iraq war was a partial win for the U.S., because they restored a democracy in Iraq. Also we killed Osama Bin Laden. I think the only thing we failed on keeping the Taliban out of government and completely ending them as a whole.
Ashley Yang
ReplyDeleteI think that the Iraq war has changed everything for both the people there and here. I don't personally know anyone who has served in the war, but I know many families have been seperated because someone is serving overseas. In the U.S. most people know about this war and it has been something talked about all throughout my childhood.
At first I thought we had a bigger job, but now it doesn't seem like much is changing over there. People are still fighting and that is admirable, but we've fought this battle for such a long time, maybe it's time to stop. Its hard to say if it was worth it or not because we don't know what it would have been like if we this war had never happened.
Wenbo Wang
ReplyDelete3/22/2013
Per.2
The effects of the Iraq War ten years later have affected me not physically, but emotionally; as to the fact that situations and events may not be what they seem. With Hussein’s army disbanded, their former soldiers became safety hazards. Thus, one hundred thousand more troops were sent to Iraq, a larger amount than the original ones sent in to combat in 2003; according to the article. Another change is the belief of needing more humanitarian reforms; due to many crimes committed by unknown individuals against certain others were frequent during the war and now, than in the past. The whole family shares these beliefs to an extent, as well as the individual. Changes in the country due to this event are the families who had loved ones participating in the war. Attitudes and emotions of the family members correspond to the events occurring near or towards the overseas family member, awaiting his/her return.
The decision of whether the Iraq War was worth fighting is definitely debatable; therefore, I am neutral in retrospect. Funding for the war was expensive; according to the Pentagon, long term U.S. military presence totaled 728 billion dollars. This might have affected the economy of the country. Positive results were the spread of the democracy ideology, and establishment. If one country alters its political system, surrounding countries will surely follow democracy ideologies for the good of representation, and the individual countries themselves. Victory is debatable, as well. Although the Saddam Hussein military was disbanded, with their leader dead; terrorist bombings are common to this day. Although not all problems can be solved, the bombings remain a dangerous threat to not only Iraq, but the world, as well.
Harish Prasad
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
It has been almost ten years since the United States has invaded Iraq. This war has impacted all Americans in different ways, some directly and some indirectly. This war cost us an estimated 728 billion dollars and many lives. The economic crisis we are facing today is due to the financial burden this war put on us. Before the war we had a surplus budget and today we are billions of dollars in debt, after going through recession. The unemployment is high and everybody is paying for the war. The troops and their families are the ones who sacrificed the most for this , many paying with their lives. We have many parents who lost their sons and daughters, wives who lost their spouses and countless children who will grow up without a parent. Then there are those soldiers who will never be the same person they before they went to Iraq to fight for their country. The horrors they saw and faced there has impacted them mentally and they are afflicted by post traumatic stress disorder, which sometime results in suicide. Many have become disabled after having lost one or more limbs in the war.
I really do not believe that going to war against Iraq was a good idea. Ironically, no weapons of mass destruction were discovered there, which was given as the reason, by the Bush administration for initiating the war. Bin Laden, who was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was never there, and the Taliban /al Qaeda were not quite active there. The Iraqi people are in no better condition now than they were before, b ecuase the sectarian violence between the Shias and Sunnis are still taking many lives. Moreover, the Iraqis do not want the American troops there and see us as invaders. For these reasons I believe that the We should not have sent troops over to Iraq.
Bobby Russell
ReplyDelete5th period
Fortunately for me, I personally was not really affected by the war in Iraq. But, I do know people and families who have suffered through misery and desperation while their loved ones are overseas. It was awful to watch them in that state and it often made me wonder why we were even fighting this war. I know that there are many issues that needed to be resolved in Iraq, but I’m not sure that even the 10 years the United States of America was fighting over there did much. Thousands of people lost their lives and it just didn’t seem worth it to me.
This is a hard question to answer especially if I do not know much of the background information regarding the reason for the war. But in my opinion, many of the issues in the world can be resolved without war. I understand that war can sometimes be necessary in extreme cases, but this one didn’t seem worth it. It did nothing to help our country, killed thousands of people, and cost a ton of money. And what was the outcome? I don’t see much change in Iraq from the time we entered that country.
Kaitlin Hill
ReplyDelete2nd Period
The war has not personally affected me or my family, but I know so many people who have parents or siblings who have fought in Iraq. To watch them struggle and cope with the pain of missing them and the fear of them not coming home was horrible. I also have watched the footage of bombing after bombing of innocent civilians. I know enough to be appalled. Ideally,we could work out all our problems without any fighting or war; but obviously that isn't realistic. Yet, it saddens me to know that this war that we have been fighting for 10 long years now was preventable. We did not need to invade and all of our troops and Iraqi citizens did not deserve to die. I do not believe that there is a winner in this war. Both sides have lost so much, it would be unjust to imply that we "won". Although a lot of progress has been made in Iraq and Afghanistan, I do not believe that this war was worth all the lives that were lost or ruined.
Shreyas Pyati
ReplyDelete7th Period
3/22/13
The war has not affected me or my family because I never knew anyone that fought in the war, or anyone that was affected by it. However, we were all thinking that it was a bad decision to fight in the war because it was based on a hunch. Also, it was a huge waste of money and lives because nothing came out of it.
The war was definitely not worth it because of the lives and money that went into it. The war was originally started because it was thought that Iraq had nuclear weapons. The US invaded, and it turned out that Iraq did not in fact have any weapons of mass destruction. All in all, it was a massive waste.
Ari Horwitz
ReplyDelete7th period
This war that took place in past years has impacted my family and the world in so many ways. First of all several thousands of lives were lost in this war which has disappointed family’s all over the US. The war cost the United States over 728 BILLION dollars with could have been used on more important struggled inside of our country. Not only did it affect US soldiers but thousands of civilians that were caught in the cross fire of the war have died for no reason and it is a very awful thing to happen to kill people that are just living there lives at home when they are disrupted with war. For me I have a close family friend that was stationed in Iraq for many years and it has worried me over the years to think of his health. What I cant understand is why media has been telling everyone peace is rising in these countries and the war will soon end bringing home all of the people serving but none of this is happening as far as a can see. So there must be something preventing the halting of this war.
In my opinion I think this war was a complete waste of time and lives. Yes, Bin Laden and Husain needed to be killed but the invasion of the country killing thousands of American soldiers for the need of the death of two people is ridiculous. After 9/11 America needed to do something about the terrorist leaders and seal team 6 executed the death of Bin Laden quietly and safely. Why couldn’t we do that for Husain and leave the country having finished our job and allow the country to rebuild itself? Although peace is now being brought slowly to this country why is it our problem to make sure of that we have our country to worry about also?
Kelly Zhang
ReplyDelete2nd Period
The Iraq war does not affect me or my family much. I do not personally know anyone that was involved or fought in the war. This does not affect me, but I do feel sadness and sympathy for all those that were lost and all those who lost a loved one in the war. This has affected our country. Like the article states, 4,488 United States service members were killed. Many more were injured, and some still suffer today. This has had a great impact on our country, and the lives of many.
I, personally, do not like war. Why can’t things be rationally talked through? Why are people violent? I think it is just part of human nature, which is unfortunate. I do not think that the Iraq War was necessary for us to join in. I do not understand why the United States saw a purpose in joining this war, but there probably was a good explanation that I do not know. I do not believe this war was a big victory for the United States. Saddam Hussein was captured and killed, but so were many other people. This, in my opinion, was a lot of unnecessary blood spilt. Many United States service members died in the line of service, so I would not call this a victory.
Tommy Mozier
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Iraq did not affect my family, for no one in my family was drafted or sent to Iraq. However, my next door neighbor's son was sent to Iraq. He was a Navy SEAL, and he came back with some pretty disturbing stories. He's now training to be a Special Op.
No war that was pointless can be won, by any side. This war was the worse war that we have ever gotten into since Nam in my opinion. Yes, we took down a dictator, but that was in 2005? Why now, 8 years later have we finally ended it. This war was very dumb and should never have happened, and has hurt many families within the USA.
Erica Johnson
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
1) Ten years after this brutal war, I know that many Americans have been affected by the aftermath. Although the war has not specifically affected me in any way, since I didn’t have any family members or people fighting in it. However, that does not mean that it did not affect me and other Americans. I think it is important that everyone supports and mourns for the losses of the members fighting for our country.
2) Personally, I don’t think that the war had a good enough cuase. Of course it was important to fight for our country and give Hussain and Bin Laden what they deserved, but for two people the risk of killing so many American soldiers was a complete waste of a war. I do not really like wars in the first place, much less ones that are not for driving reasons. For those kind of wars, you cant really say who won.
Mary Louise Callaghan
ReplyDeleteThe war in Iraq doesn't really have any effect on my family, or me. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned. The war didn't just effect people's home lives but it also effected the entire nation, by adding to our national debt and by just giving America a bad reputation.
I would say we did win the war, but seriously, what did we won? I mean we cant sound that brave anymore since the weapons we were threatened by didn't even exist. I think there wasn't really a reason to fight the war and we certainly don't wage wars just to win. The Iraq war resulted in many deaths and scarred families for practically no reason, so I don't believe that is was worth it.
Jesse Chen
ReplyDeletePeriod 7
Personally I believe the whole war is a stain in American history. The fact that there were no nuclear weapons makes us look bad as a country. Many troops died but the real damage was done at home. Some families will never be the same, regardless of whether or not their loved ones returned.
I do not think that supporting the Iraq War is necessary, but as we are allies with a lot of foreign countries, not helping would be viewed as backstabbing. Terrorism is the most likely cause for this war besides diplomacy, but the war against terrorism is not a war that we can afford to have. Once again, being in over 15 trillion dollars of debt, supporting a war may not be the best idea, from a fiscal standpoint.
Emma Baldwin
ReplyDeletePeriod 7
3.25.13
1. The Iraq War has not changed very much in me or my family, aside from the fact that most of the people surrounding me were not in favor of it. As the United States’ wars go, it was perhaps one of the least emotionally invested. However, the Iraq War has left a lasting impact on our country. The cost alone--the New York Times estimates that “more than $2 trillion [was] spent on combat operations and reconstruction” in its article “Ten Years After”--had a detrimental effect on the country because of how the price of this war rapidly increased. Mother Jones’ online article “Charts: Bush Lowballed Us on Iraq by $6 Trillion” places the Bush Administration’s estimated cost at 50 to 60 billion dollars, while the actual cost (as of 2013) was 1.6 trillion dollars and the projected total cost, plus interest through 2053, will be 6 trillion dollars. Specific numbers aside, the sheer difference in numbers means that the act of underestimation heavily drained the government budget. The loss of life for both parties was dramatic: nearly 4,500 American troops lost their lives, and the suspected (but never determined) 100,000 casualties of Iraq citizens. The Iraq War changed the way that the United States viewed not only budget and loss of life, but international relationships and the value and purpose of the armed forces as well.
2. I believe that the simple fact that the United States is still asking itself, ten years later, whether or not this was a war worth fighting, speaks for itself.
For me life has not changed at all. This is because I was four years old ten years ago. So, I don’t really remember what life was back then. And honestly I’m not sure MY life would be different it is not like I have to pay taxes or anything.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that this war was worth fighting. I say this purely on the fact that our reason to become involved was terrible.
For my family life hasn't changed that much. The only thing that has changed is my parents views on war, they dont like the idea very much because they thought that the war in iraq was pointless.
ReplyDeleteI dont think that the war was worth fighting, we didn't have good enough evidence to attack. If the evidence would have been proven first before we entered in a war things would be very different. Their would have been no war in the first place.
Period 1
ReplyDeleteI don't think it has changed much in my family, except making us hate war more. But I think it has had a huge affect on our country. I think it has made us numb to war, made war seem like the rule instead of the exception. As a country we are used to the fact that americans are putting their life at risk for us every day.
I don't think the Iraq war was worth fighting. We needed to do something to prevent Sudam Hussien from killing his people, but I don't agree with what we did. Now I think if you base it off our goals, then we technically won the war, but at a great price.
I think that the Iraq war has changed me, by forcing me to grow up in a country that is at war. I think that it changed in our family, by forcing us to be in an environment of war. And it has made our country less trusting in our government because they started the pointless war.
ReplyDeleteNo it was not worth fighting, all we did was make Iraq even more unstable, and more dangerous. This was definitely not a US victory, because what did we accomplish? We just gained more enemies as a country.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete