Recently, David Petraeus, Commanding General of Multi-National forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, testified before Senate and House committees and gave their assessment of the progress being made after five years of the war in Iraq. After two day-long hearings, one thing revealed itself to be painfully clear: We have no way of telling how or when this will conclude, and we shouldn’t expect any great changes in policy any time soon. It’s generally agreed upon that, at this point, there won’t be an amicable solution to the current state of affairs (either in Iraq or in Washington).

Meanwhile, our military continues to undergo serious strains of all shapes and sizes. Currently, the U.S. Army and Marines are facing extended and multiple deployments (between 12 to 18 months), the ramifications of which we are only beginning to see. What’s more, once these soldiers retire from duty or are wounded, they face what Linda Bilmes, Harvard professor and co-author of The Three Trillion Dollar War, describes as a “protracted, almost second war” with the various veterans assistance programs. Within this limbo, regrettably, many soldiers and their families and loved ones are too often forced to struggle with the bitter sweet burden of knowing they’re answering the call of duty, yet wondering if that same response will be awaiting them when they need it most.

The Three Trillion Dollar War, co-authored by 2001 Nobel Prize in economics recipient Joseph Stiglitz, maintains that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been largely financed through deficit spending, otherwise known simply as “borrowing.” Stiglitz says that the Bush administration’s method of funding operations through emergency appropriations bills obscures the real costs of this war and makes it difficult for the government to implement oversight.

The American people are by and large unaware of the financial implications of this war, due significantly to the fact that we’re not paying for it now. Consider the current economic dilemma Americans find themselves mired in today, and imagine if we were actually paying what the war is currently costing. According to a March 2008 NYTimes.com article, the Pentagon pegs the cost of the Iraq war alone to be roughly $600 billion, and counting. Bear in mind, Stiglitz and Bilmes believe this figure to be grossly inaccurate; they believe the true costs are much higher.

Clearly, the war in Iraq warrants a more critical assessment. While The Express does not want to tell our readers how to think, we do have a vested interest in featuring what we believe our readers should think about. In this final installment
of our special election-related content, we are featuring the story of Anil Shandil, a former City College student and now combat medic, who treats wounded soldiers from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. We felt Shandil’s story was important to tell because it illustrates a larger narrative of the war, which is the story of so many soldiers and veterans who have survived injuries, thanks to the advancements in battlefield medical treatment. Once they’ve left the hospital, however, familial strain, economic difficulties and medical hardship (such as the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder particularly prevalent among Iraq veterans) take their toll.

All members of this campus community are affected one way or another by the war. The costs of this war are being deferred today, but one day, someone will be paying for it. It might be us, but most certainly it will be our children. Soldiers and veterans don’t have the luxury of deferring their problems; they’re dealing with them in real-time. Truly, we all should be.