War on Terror

War on Terror
Robert Overholt



The War on Terror is a pain in the rear.


Millions of dollars have been poured into this ceaseless war in which there is no defined enemy. In this war, it is America against every radical in the Middle East whose sole goal is to raise havoc and chaos. How do you find such an enemy? As stated in the war novel The Forever War, a major portion of these terrorists, called the Mujahadeen, consist of actual Iraqi citizens. How do soldiers differentiate among these citizens without killing either innocent people or by getting killed because he or she assumed innocence? The training and split second decision making necessary for these soldiers makes this war that much more difficult.

Despite all of these negative aspects of the war, it is a war that needs to be fought. If we did not go into Afghanistan and Iraq, there is no doubt in my mind that more attacks on United States soil would have followed. Much controversy floats around this unpopular war, as many debate whether or not we needed to declare full-scale war. There is no question that this war is necessary. By attacking Afghanistan and Iraq we put many of these terrorists groups back on the defensive and preoccupied them enough to not have another attack on United States’ soil since September of 2001. As much as George W. Bush gets a bad reputation for taking us in to such a Vietnam-like war, he actually was completely justified in his decision to invade the Middle East. Obama’s current policy in leaving troops in Iraq reinforces this fact. Upon his election, Obama had a plan to take troops out of Iraq immediately. This must have changed when he took office and realized that the troops still have a purpose in Iraq, as the troops remain to this day. There is something going on in Iraq and Afghanistan that only the President knows about. I must note, however, the humor regarding the media and the War on Terror. When George W. Bush was in office, the media tore him and his decisions on the War on Terror apart. He was brutalized in the media for leaving the troops in the Middle East for all of this time. Interestingly, however, when Obama took office (with troops still in Iraq) he has received no criticism at all about the troops. In fact, it seems as if this war has fallen off of the map. Funny the way it is…


The War on Terror is a brutal war. It is misreported, misremembered, and as a result misinterpreted. No matter what justification is provided, the war will always have its critics, and rightfully so. There is no question that this war absolutely sucks. Yet in my opinion, there is no alternative unless we want a fight on our own soil. What makes this even more of a predicament is that we can’t leave until we are finished. If we leave without completing the goal, which is vaguely defined as it is, then the task will be rendered entirely pointless.