S'1’' JJnrtlanb ® h Berber
November 2, 2011
Cultural Gap Found in Poll
Public has little understanding of military concerns
(AP) — One in three U.S. vinced that the American public
veterans of the post-9/11 mili has little understanding of the
tary believes the wars in Iraq problems that wartime service
and Afghanistan were not worth has created for military mem
fighting, and a majority think bers and their families.
that after 10 years of combat,
The Pew Research Center, a
America should be focusing less nonpartisan organization that
on foreign affairs and more on studies attitudes and trends,
its own problems.
called the study the first of its
The survey also reflected kind. The results were based on
what many view as a trouble two surveys conducted between
some cultural gap between the late July and mid-September.
military and the general public. One polled 1,853 veterans, in
Although numerous polls have cluding 712 who had served in
shown that Americans hold the the military after 9/11 but are no
military in high regard, the re longer on active duty. Of the
spondents in the Pew research 712 post-9/11 veterans, 336
acknowledged a lack of under served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
standing of what military life The other polled 2,003 adults
entails.
who had not served in the mili
Only 27 percent of adult ci tary.
vilians said the public under
Nearly half of post-9/11 vet
stands the problems facing those erans said deployments strained
in uniform, and the share of their relationship with their
veterans who said so is even spouses, and a sim ilar share
lower — 21 percent
reported problems with their
The findings highlight a di children. On the other hand, 60
lemma for the Obama adminis percent said they and their fami
tration and Congress as they lies benefited financially from
stru g g le
to
sh rin k
the having served abroad in a com
government's huge budget defi bat zone. Asked for a single
cits and reconsider defense pri word to describe their experi
orities while trying to keep pub ences, the war veterans offered
lic support for remaining in a mixed picture: "rewarding,"
volved in Iraq and Afghanistan "nightm are," "eye opening,"
for the longer term.
"lousy."
N early 4,500 U.S. troops
The Pew survey found that
have died in Iraq and about veterans are ambivalent about
1,700 in Afghanistan. Combined the net value of the wars, al
war costs since the Sept. 11, though they generally were more
2001, terro rist attacks have p o sitive about A fghanistan,
topped $1 trillion.
which has been a more pro
The poll results, presented tracted but less deadly conflict
last month by the Pew Research for U.S. forces. One-third of
Center, portray post-9/11 vet post-9/11 veterans said neither
erans as proud of their work, war was worth the sacrifices;
scarred by warfare and con- that was the view of 45 percent
in the separate poll of members
of the general public.
Fifty percent of veterans said
A fg h a n ista n w as w orth it,
whereas the poll of civilians put
it at 41 percent.
Among veterans, 44 percent
said Iraq was worth it. That
compares with 36 percent in
the poll of civilians.
Of the surveyed former ser
vice members who were seri
ously wounded or knew some
one who was killed or seriously
wounded, 48 percent said the
war in Iraq was worth fighting,
compared with 36 percent of
those veterans who had no per
sonal exposure to casualties.
Exposure to casualties had an
even larger impact on attitudes
toward the war in Afghanistan.
Fifty-five percent of those ex
posed to casualties said Afghani
stan has been worth the cost to
the U.S., whereas 40 percent of
those who were not exposed to
casualties held that same view.
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Benson Grad Joins Army
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