ONE THIRD OF VETERANS THINK WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WERE A MISTAKE October 05, 2011
US Army Special Forces on November 10, 2001 arriving in Mazar i Sharif, Afghanistan with Northern Alliance fighters. Photo Army Special Forces
(NATIONAL) -- One in three U.S. veterans of the post 9/11 military believes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting.
In addition a solid majority believe that after 10 years of combat America should focus less on foreign affairs and more on its own problems at home, according to a Pew Research Center opinion survey released Wednesday.
The poll results show veterans as proud of the work they have done but also severely impacted by warfare and convinced the American public does not understand the problems that wartime service has created for military men and women and their families.
Another poll, a CBS News poll released Monday shows half of Americans do not believe the war in Afghanistan has been a success and an overwhelming 69 percent of those polled said the war has gone on longer than they thought it would.
Almost 4,500 U.S. troops have died in Iraq and nearly 1,700 in Afghanistan and the combined cost of wars since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have now topped the one $1 Trillion dollar mark.
The ongoing costs of the wars the U.S. is involved in can be seen in the real time tickers shown below.
