Growing Up With the War

For the last decade, many people have grown up with the thought of a war going on as a normal occasion. Adults have seen otherwise, growing up in quieter times, and going through their fair share of “ups and downs.” However, teenagers and younger children do not know what it would be like any other way. For the majority of our lives, we have lived in a country fighting two wars. Since 2001, we turn on the television, hearing about the new number of casualties over in the Middle East. Troops are continuously sent in by our government, without any knowledge going out to the public about an objective. Saddam Hussein was executed, Osama Bin Laden is dead, and we have helped both Iraq and Afghanistan create schools and hold elections. What more is there to do?

            After successfully eliminating powerful terrorist leaders and helping those two countries rebuild and get a taste of freedom, we continue to send in more troops. What is the objective, what is our goal there? As more soldiers lose lives, and spend years without seeing loved ones, this country’s youth can only sit around and watch. We watch the wars that have been dragged out beyond their meaning. The purpose was to fight back against terrorism after the horrible attacks of 9-11. After the execution of Bin Laden and Hussein, why can’t our country just call it a victory? We’ve helped them rebuild, and we’ve proven the strength and courage of America, and all of the people who are a part of it. We’ve done what we can, and now there is no more meaning for us to continue to fight. Call it a victory, walk away proud. There’s no reason to continuously send our soldiers in to a war we’ve already won.

            After a decade-long war, this country’s youth is growing up. Those who have been forced to sit back and watch can now make a difference. Many high school graduates have chosen to enlist in the military, and try to help end this war as fast as possible. College students are protesting everywhere against the government which chooses to sit back, and watch families go broke, while losing loved ones overseas. Are all of the protests and increase in military enlistment a product of the war and how it affects our youth? Is it because we’ve grown up with a war that has lasted far too long, and decided to speak out now that we are becoming adults? I think so. Our country’s youth has had to sit back for the last ten years, and do nothing while family members die overseas. We’ve seen the news about the execution of Saddam Hussein, and the recent elimination of Osama Bin Laden. Now that our country has accomplished important goals in the war, our government decides to keep fighting. Now is the time that children are growing up, and becoming adults in the real world. They’ve decided to speak out, and put an end to all of the problems they have grown up with. Can you blame them?