Survey: Majority of Veterans Say Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Not Worth the Cost

Retired Navy Commander Jeff Hensley volunteered to work in Iraq as a liaison officer between the Army and Iraqi community leaders as the country experienced some of the highest levels of violence and instability of the war.Hensley, who lives in Collin County, is proud of his 21 years of military service. But he’s not happy with the mission.“I don't happen to think either Iraq or Afghanistan has been worth the lives lost and damaged or the trillions spent,” Hensley said.Hensley's views are shared by a majority of veterans. Nearly two decades after U.S forces started fighting in Afghanistan and 16 years after invading Iraq, about six out 10 veterans now say the all-volunteer military's sacrifices in those two wars haven’t been worth the cost, according to new surveys by the Pew Research Center.Pew recently asked 1,284 U.S. military veterans and 1,087 U.S. adults for their opinions of the wars, politics and President Donald Trump. Pew found veterans in some cases as divided as their civilian counterparts.Veterans’ views mirrored the general public’s: 64% of veterans say the Iraq War was not worth fighting compared to 62% of the general public. Similar majorities of both veterans (58%) and the public (59%) say the war in Afghanistan was not worth the fight, the survey found.  Continue reading...