U.S. Army

THE BASICS

The events of September 11th, 2001 sparked many emotions across the United States, two of which included major patriotism and pride, as well as anger and violence. After George W. Bush announced the War on Terror, many young men (and women) joined the fight in order to protect their country from terrorist attacks. For some - war felt necessary and right. For others - joining this war was a chance for fame, respect, and ticker-tape parades. And for many - this war was a chance at revenge for the things we lost in 9/11.
The ideal number of recruited soldiers was met in 2001 and 2002 - but by 2005 the numbers began falling short.

“ A CLEAN-CUT ALL-AMERICAN,
REALLY AIN'T SO CLEAN.
HIS ROYAL AUDITORIUM,
IS A MURDER SCENE."

2001

October 7, 2001: President George W. Bush announces troops have began striking Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks. The air campaign initially targets Taliban troops, training camps, and air defense.
November 2001: 1,300 troops are stationed in the country when commandos and ground troops, mostly marines, begin to arrive.
December 2001: U.S. forces expand to 2,500 troops as they begin searching the Tora Bora region looking for Osama Bin Laden.

2002

March 2002: 7,200 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan as they lead allied forces in the largest ground assault to date.
December 2002: about 9,700 troops are stationed in Afghanistan, mostly going after Taliban insurgents.

2003

2004

April 2004: the number of stationed troops grows to 20,300 as the U.S. builds forces along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

2006

December 2006: the number in Afghanistan remains just over 20,000 as the attention shifts to the growing war in Iraq.

2007

December 2007: the force in Afghanistan rises to 25,000, but Iraq is still the priority.

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. government for a segment of the War on Terror.
After President George W. Bush's September 16th, 2001 declaration of war, the first airstrikes bean. These airstrikes were the official start of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Operation Enduring Freedom lasted from October 7th, 2001 through December 28th, 2014 when Barack Obama announced the official end of the operation. Although military forces still remain in some parts of the Middle East, the War on Terror is for the most part, over.

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Operation Iraqi Freedom is the official name used by the U.S. government for the 2003 U.S. military invasion of Iraq.
The primary reasons for this invasion include the following, according to General Tommy Franks:
- First, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
- Second, to identify, isolate, and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
- Third, to search for, to capture, and to drive out terrorists from that country.
- Fourth, to collect such intelligence as we can relate to terrorist networks.
- Fifth, to collect such intelligence as we can relate to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction.
- Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needy Iraqi citizens.
- Seventh, to secure Iraq's oil fields and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people.
- And last, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government.

POST WAR MENTAL HEALTH

Although many would presume that serving time in the U.S. military, especially during the War on Terror, would cause large numbers of veterans to attempt suicide, several studies say otherwise.
"In a study that covered the 3.9 million members of the U.S. military from 2001-2007, suicide was not associated with deployment in the major U.S. conflicts Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was suspected that part of the reason is because military members who are deployed may be among the most mentally fit."
On the other hand, there were several other factors involved that could cause veterans to want to attempt suicide.
"However, some patterns that were linked to higher suicide rates included those who left the military early and those who were not honorably discharged. People who left the military early had a 63% higher suicide rate, and people with the fewest years of military service, those who left before serving four years, were most at risk. Those who not honorably discharged had a 21% higher suicide rate than those who were. Speculation for these findings included difficulty finding work, having to find new social support, and losing their military identity."