How Did The Persian Gulf War Affect America ?
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The Persian war has left a long standing effect on many nations especially the US. The losses for the US have been the maximum ever with an estimated financial expenditure of $150 million per day to support the soldiers, loss of lives at an estimated 2,300 and injuries to approximately 17,000 soldiers. Americans did not have to bear the load of the expenses of the war by major compromises and there were no evident protests against the government’s decision.
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The war has affected the psyche of Americans. People have cried and prayed on seeing the happenings on the war-front. The wounded soldiers returning home to parents and family, funerals of the dead and destruction of mosques have shaken the Americans as much as those suffering in the theater of war.
Many believe that now, crying comes to them easily. Many veterans of the Vietnam War formed groups which advised school kids of the pro and cons of getting enlisted in the defense forces and counseled the veterans returning home from Iraq. The process was not as a large scale demonstration against war and US participation in it. Instead, the process was a low key affair propagating ill-effects of wars and is still continuing.
Almost 45 percent of the US population felt that 3 years after the end of the war, there had not been any effect on them on a personal front. Many related to the happenings in the Persian War only to the ribbon magnets stuck on cars, bracelets which mentioned ‘Killed in action’, or obituary in the papers or on the television screens.
Years after the war, merely 14 percent feel that the lessons from the war have affected them for the better. This figure was approximately 37 percent in 2003. Approximately 39 percent feel that they have been affected for the worse. This figure was almost 16 percent in 2003.
Approximately 956,000 soldiers represented the Coalition Forces. With US being the major contingent, almost 50 percent of the US population had either a friend or a relative in the scene of war. Of these, almost 12 percent say that their near and dear one was wounded or killed. Such was the damage to the young lives of the US population.
The fear in many minds is that the repercussions of spearheading the effort against Iraq in the Gulf War would be witnessed at home in the US itself.
Many felt that the loss to US with respect to money and lives would be similar to that after Vietnam War.
More Articles :
USA Today: Effects of Iraq War Vary Dramatically in USA
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-03-16-iraq-war
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The Gulf War was a clear showcase of the fact that natural resources could be used as a weapon or reason for war. The reason does not need to be confined to military ends alone or territorial disputes. The damage was mostly evident on the natural resources. The burning oil wells and the slick in the waters contaminated the environment which is still affecting various life forms. Evaporation of the spilt oil affected the water cycle and increased the levels of bacteria along the shores. This affected the availability of edible water. Some of the species were almost pushed to becoming extinct. Such was the damage caused.