can somebody please tell me ?

Question

can somebody please tell me exactlly what the war is about
i keep hearing this and that i'm 17 yrs old and my uncle died in this war but i really wanna know if it was worth it to leave his family behind and die ,please help my understand this so my little mind can stop wondering and be at ease ,please if you have something negative to say please don't post ........ thanx in advance

Answer 1

First note: these are my opinions.

We initiated the war because diplomacy had failed to remove Sadam Hussein and the Ba'athists from power and it was widely perceived that he was a threat to the stability in the Middle East and thus a threat to US security. The UN had failed to enforce its resolutions and the cost of continuing enforcing the no-fly zones was getting out of hand. President Bush had barely won the 2000 election and was powerless to do anything until the Al-Qaeda attacks unified the world and the American people. The direct attack was in Afghanistan and that went so well so fast that there was a window of opportunity that would likely never reoccur to greatly speed up the pace of republicanism in the Middle East. It would be a tough sell to the world and the American people and it had to happen fast so anything that helped make the point was seized upon even if the analysis was not complete. Congress was also taken up by the popularity of the war on terror and so gave President Bush the legal means to pursue the war. The war was over extraordinarily fast. However, the US military is configured to defend the USA from nation states. The Clinton administration had cut the budget to the lowest % of GNP since WWII and declared a procurement holiday resulting in the Army having to decide on defending against an attack from a nation that could cripple the US or versus smaller states that could be no more then an irritant. Special Forces, light infantry divisions, body armor, and basic research were all cut drastically to meet budget restrictions. Thus when the window opened and the military option used, after the quick victory, our military was not configured or large enough to provide ground security to so large an area with so little infrastructure. What was really needed was 100,000 police officers and lots of Special Forces troops but we had to use the heavy units because that is all we had.

So, initially the war was about removing a threat to the stability of the Middle East that directly affected US (actually all nations within the umbrella of western civilization) national defense but quickly morphed into an exercise of nation building that the US was poorly prepared for. We were successful in Europe and Japan (after WWII) but the Europeans were tired of war and are military had some latent size. We can be successful in Iraq if we are able to wait out the tribal warfare until the Iraqi people get tired of war and eliminate the international instigators (terrorists). Right now, we are stuck in a situation similar to what the British saw themselves in concerning Northern Ireland which took 38 years for a reasonable conclusion (not at all like our experience in the Republic of Vietnam, however).

Your uncle was a patriotic American who volunteered his service to the country and paid the ultimate price in an attempt to increase the stability of the world which is our best insurance at keeping the American dream a reality and our borders and way of life secure.

Answer 2

Here is what the war is about...

In Afghanistan, we are fighting the same people who attacked on 9/11. In Iraq, we were fighting a dictator who refused to comply with the peace treaty he singed after the first Gulf War, we are now fighting the scum that has decided that they want to rule the country, without sharing power with anybody else.

The whole war on terror is basically a war between cultures. It pits our culture of individual freedoms against a culture where they feel that the only way is radical Islam and that anyone who doesn't agree should die. They are the same as the Nazis and Communists of past generations. If we just stood back, and did nothing, they would not leave us alone until we have a Mullah as our leader.

Answer 3

For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't understand, no explanation will suffice.

I can't tell you what the war is about because everyone's mind is already made up for what they believe. But for your uncle dying in the war and leaving his family behind, it's always a question whether it was worth it.

A lot of people feel that America is worth defending and so they join. Some people enjoy being out on the ocean, but can't afford to live on a yacht, so they join the Navy. Others enjoy being able to shoot guns but can't get heavy artillery at the pawn shop, so they join the Army or Marines. Some enjoy working with high-tech warbirds, but crop-dusting Cessnas just don't make the grade. They all knew that war was probable somewhere and really, one war is pretty much like any other.

Had your uncle died as a cop protecting the citizenry of your town, ask yourself if it was worth it to leave his family behind? Would it have made any difference if he died in a shoot-out with a drug gang or if he was hit & killed by a drunk driver while he was writing a speeding ticket to a car on the side of the road?

I've listened to people ask if celebrities are worth what they're getting paid. Obviously they are, or someone wouldn't be giving them the money. It doesn't matter what other people think, just the one that has to pay it. Same with people who are willing to die for their cause. It doesn't matter whether I think it was worth it, since it wasn't my life. Your uncle obviously did think it was worth it because he volunteered for HIS cause.

Answer 4

Hello sweety
Look we all have a family member in this, lots of us have lots loved ones, the war have many reason to stand, I can't understand it either, my son is 18 just finish his boot camp training at the Marines, and now I am feeling scared and confused, when I went to him and told him that he said, mom we all go when it's time for us to go, you can't cheat death we all have a time for living that was assign to us before we were born the lord will take us when it's our time so if something happened to me it wasn't because where I was or what I was doing it was just my time to go.. This answer didn't ease my fears or pain but it comfort me that is the way he thinks, your uncle is a hero and died with honor, he is part of history and he died for a good cause please don't think it was in vain, he would not like that. Our boys are out there we need to always pray, this can't last for ever it will end soon. Sorry about your uncle but I am sure that he is in heaven and not regretful of anything. Keep him in your heart in your memory he will live for ever.. take care honey.. good luck.

Answer 5

. . . sometimes the negative things are the truth -- even though they're negative.

I'm 24 years old, and I can't honestly say that I know what the war is about.

Originally I was told by the government that it was about Sadaam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction -- they used the "planing" of the World Trade Centers (9/11) as a mechanism to rally support.

I don't believe that any more.

What do I think the war is about?

1) Oil
2) Manifest Destiny
3) Domination
4) Western ideologies v. Eastern Ideologies
5) Bush's father was in this war -- years ago, and didn't finish

Answer 6

I am sorry to hear about your uncle dying in the war. Your uncle was a true American hero.

The war in my opinion is to prevent anther 9-11 from happening and also protect out country from the suicide bombs and make it so we can walk into something with a lot of people and not have to worry about bombs going off.

Answer 7

I am a bit confused. I am trying to discuss war and death of a loved one without being negative. I really can't pamper you in this forum. You just can't ask a question and request only nice answers.

I noticed that someone said 9/11. My God I hope you don't fall for that!..The war in Iraq has never had anything to do with 9/11. I am so disturbed that people keep saying this. What a crock.

This war is about George W. Bush. Bush has always wanted to go to war with Iraq. I'm sorry I may be getting a little too complex here. If your uncle was still in the military then he had no choice but to leave his family behind and go to war unless he had reason to believe the war was wrong and he was willing to go to jail like Ali did in Viet Nam. Kind of interesting to note Ali was a practicing Muslim at the time. Also, he could have run to Canada.

It's kind of weird answering a question posted by someone claiming a 'little mind'.. I am sorry but I can not put you at ease.

You know it is kind of ridiculous for Americans to run off to war with absolutely no idea of what is going on. Americans. on the other hand, are totally ignorant. about the world outside of themselves. I kind of wonder why they don't immediately send captured weapons criminals over to the war zone to pay off some of their debt to society by killing people the US has deemed 'bad guys',

In the old days - like King Aurthor's time - people fought a lot of wars and got wounded a lot and therefor died a lot.. So now we've got a (said) teenager worried about a nusanse question. Please don't do that.

Answer 8

Not everything in life is positive for everyone. You are going to have many ups and downs. This is obviously a down for you. But your Uncle chose to serve his country. Everyone dies at some point. He died doing what he wanted to do, serving his country, protecting it freedoms, and defending its people. There is at least one person in this world that is better off because of your Uncle did. And to him that was worth it, because that is what the military does. Many men served and died before him. Leaving their families and giving us what we have today. Your Uncle is a Hero, a great man, and will be missed. Be sad that your Uncle is gone, but be happy and proud of what he stood for.

Answer 9

November, How can you even say that. Even Bush will tell you they had nothing to do with 9/11!

This war started the day that 3 major contracts to US Oil companies were terminated and given to the French and Russians.

There are people currently trying to get contracts for oil in Iraq who have nothing to do with the Iraqi's, but represent the US. We are there as an occupying force and we are going to "protect our assets" (OIL) at all costs! The Iraqi's don't want us to have the oil, that is clear!

Answer 10

It all depends on your ideals. Iraq wasn't connected to Al-Qaeda, nor was it connected to 9/11.

We helped an ally (Iraq) to stand up after years of oppression. Allies stick together. That's how the Allies won World War II and in the process saved the world from unimaginable pain and heartache.

I'm sorry but your uncle signed away his life when he signed up to join the military. Soldiers don't have the option of refusing to go to war, especially when they weren't drafted but voluntarily joined the military of their own free will.