do we modern-day americans have the stamina for a prolonged war?

Question

it sometimes seems like we have devolved into a people who want everything done right away and with little or no pain. my god, how spoiled we are. imagine the americans of the world war II era acting like we do now. i don't think we could have prevailed back then given the appeasers too many of us have become. so, what about it, DO we have the stamina for a prolonged war?

make that a prolonged war WITH an uncertain outcome.

for "Dr. Cyclops": sir, i served america for 20 years (1971-1991).

Answer 1

no.

Answer 2

I think that people has a problem accepting the ugliness of war. War is a terrible thing. It is bloody, it is horrible, and people die, are tortured, and sometimes unspeakable acts performed. That is the nature of war. Every war has been this way from the beginning of time, but I think that the realization of this is too shocking for some to accept.

Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, people were opposed to America's entry into WWII. Afterwards, much like after 9/11, Americans wanted vengeance. A big difference was that during WWII, the American public was largely shielded from the horrors of war. Even war movies were prohibited from showing American GIs getting killed in the movies. There were no bloody news reels of dead citizens and soldiers.

This partially changed during Vietnam, and now real battle scenes are broadcast in real time to our living rooms.

Answer 3

I think if its a prolonged war thats justified and worth it, I think Americans could tough it out. We were attacked at Pearl Harbor in WW2. Attacked by a country. We went to war with that country. But you have to remember that Americans have always been anti-war as a people. Its the leaders who choose to go to war, not the people.

Iraq was no threat to us, by any stretch of the imagination. And the continued killing and death in that country everyday isnt worth it. We're not fighting a war, we're policing another country's civil war while 80% of the people there want us to leave.

This is nothing like WW2. I dont think the two can be compared. Compare Iraq to Vietnam, and there, there you might have something.

Answer 4

Not to excuse the laziness/have some else do it/blame someone else nature of modern Americans...BUT...

Clausewitz said that wars that go longer than 3 - 4 years will loose the support of the people. Sure the current war effects almost no Americans (except the few who are fighting and their families). But even in the early 19th Century when Clausewitz wrote, "On War" the media had an effect on public opinion.

Answer 5

I'm getting tired of giving history lessons on Yahoo Answers!
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The Fact Is,,,America hasn't changed at all!
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Prior to WW2,. America was fiercely anti-war and Roosevelt was unable to convince voters to go to war against Hitler in 1939.
In fact, there was a strong, pro-Nazi element in America at the time. They held rallies etc all across America.
Pearl Harbor changed all that of course, but by 1945, there was a weariness in America and Britain as many people felt the war was dragging on with no end in sight. The Battle of the Bulge and Iwo Jima were cases in point, where it seemed the enemy was never going to be beaten.
It was one of the reasons Harry Truman decided to drop the bombs on Japan, he felt America wanted an end to the war as soon a possible. He was also afraid after hearing reports of bad morale amongst the soldiers coming back from Europe, the soldiers did not want to go to the Pacific!
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Basically, people everywhere are peace loving people and would never make war upon one another if they had the choice.
It's our politicians who love war, not us.

Answer 6

Well WW II, people were hungry and war was good, we better have the stamina for a prolonged wars, because the terror war may take us to any nation, that has oil. What a wast call all the troops home, just to redeploy them back to invade Iran/ Iraq again. Like I said today our people are hungry for oil

Answer 7

We haven't "devolved" into anything. However, there seems to be some credible evidence for the fact that we Americans have "evolved" into a society that doesn't even have the stamina for the time it takes to use "Spellcheck" on our computers, much less a "prolonged war". I agree: we ARE a very spoiled society. But we don't have the stamina for anything that might be in the least bit painful, time-consuming, or inconvenient. -RKO- 05/16/07

Answer 8

Not if there is a draft, baby, we like our freedom drive thru style, no hassles, no effort just convience, shopping and televison. Let the lower class bleed baby...
While I appreciate the rhetorical vigor of your(often re-posted) question, I think you know the answer in the post Viet-Nam era already.
This aint the days of Teddy Roosevelt charging San Jaun Hill, these are the days of energy lobbyists, no bid contracts and Abu Grabe all over your grocery checkout line. Wondering if you serve in the armed forces, or are an arm-chair hawk? Call me a dove with claws.

Answer 9

It is not so much how the American people can handle this,it is the young soldiers that we have sent to war.
My brother was sent to Vietnam, my nephew was sent to Iraq. The difference between these 2 soldiers?
I firmly believe it is the "ERA." The young men sent to Vietnam were of a different breed, by that I mean. . .
I truly believe the reason we have had so many young men maimed and injury in Iraq is due to the times we live in.
We are sending young men to a 3rd world country to fight terrorist lacking the "survival" skills the men in the Vietnam era had.
These boy's are use to the following-$100 jeans, $50 haircuts, cell phone's computer's "McDonald's, Pizza Hut Taco bell on a weekly basis, fancy car's, work out Jyms's and etc.
Hardly the mental skill to take on insurgents that wear sandals and would blow up their own mother for their cause, or decapitate you in a heartbeat. My modern day soldier nephew was sent to Germany for "3 weeks" of training to fight TERRORIST. You know what he asked his mother to send him? "Slim fast."
My Brother when in Vietnam, would request Pall Mall's and mosquito repellent. Does anyone understand my theory?

Answer 10

if the war was needed and you could prove it... I think so...in fact, I think if this war had been focused on Osama the entire time... you would see very high levels of public support....

do we as modern-day Americans have the common sense to elect officials that can fight wars for the right reasons, and do so in a reasonable manner?

apparently not...

people have never liked bad wars...

Answer 11

Its not about stamina - its about a never-ending war. this war will never come to an end, the insurgents make that quite clear. with every "terrorist" the military kills, more are made.

we need to get out now, because it DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO STAY FOREVER!

there is no "real" war on terror. the war on terror is just a way for the unikted states government to create a police state and take all of the power that they crave.