Fighting for what?

The true cost of the Iraq war is becoming apparent:

British veterans of the Iraq war are suffering a “Vietnam effect” after returning home to face a hostile public, according to one of Britain’s foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr Chris Freeman says the increasingly unpopular decision of the government to ignore public opinion and go to war has placed an additional burden on servicemen.

Freeman, who has treated nearly 20 Scottish veterans at his Edinburgh clinic, said: “Gulf War Two has changed society’s attitude to soldiers. It has become our Vietnam. There have been no heroes in this war. Two-thirds of this country didn’t want [Iraq] to happen and that has a massive effect on the men who come home.”

When the will of the public is ignored in many countries around the world and governments still send troops to fight an illegal and immoral war, the consequences can be devastating.

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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