I Am a Veteran of the Anti-War Movement

Endless wars and trillions in debt

This week, it was reported that Trump approved a $2.8 billion arms “sale” to Israel, presumably to continue their war on Gaza and Lebanon. The package includes 40,000 one-ton bombs and would be among the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions to Israel. This was reported by the New York Times. This is simply a continuation of military spending that began with the Korean War. Since then, major U.S. military conflicts have cost the United States well over $14 trillion in combined direct and indirect, inflation-adjusted spending.  Yes, that is trillions of dollars.

And I have yet to find one combat veteran from any of those wars who actually did the fighting and felt that they had fought a just war. The cost is not only calculated in dollars, either; the human toll of the dead, wounded, and PTSD injured will cost billions more when factored into the equation.

Yet we continue every Veterans Day and Memorial Day to raise the flags and salute our men and women who served in uniform. Never asking what it was all for — what was the cost?

In my studies of American history, there have been only three wars that needed to be fought– the Revolution (and by extension the War of 1812), the American Civil War, and World War II.

All of these wars were fought on the moral grounds of freedom and liberty–against tyranny or fascism of one form or another. Yet we as a nation have spent more blood and treasure pursuing the empire and not defending democracy. Hell, I don’t even know if people truly understand democracy anymore.

In my seven decades, I have been opposed to all the undeclared wars since WWII. One could say that I am an anti-war veteran of all these wars. I don’t need any ribbons or decorations to be this kind of veteran because this is the role of being a citizen patriot. The marches that I attend don’t have marching bands and cadets in uniform, but proudly protest NO KINGS or ICE OUT and are extensions of every antiwar demonstration since Vietnam.

The question I have to ask every single conscious voting American is this: how is it that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world that we have so much poverty, homelessness, and people without health care? There’s a direct correlation between the $14 trillion in war debt, the trillions in tax breaks for the wealthy over the last 40 years and why our public institutions are underfunded, and there is a growing number of nonprofit organizations doing charity work- begging to do the things an enlightened democracy should do.

So, when you decry the homeless crisis, complain about the public school, or stare in wonder at the growing lines outside the food banks, just remember that this is the cost of endless wars. And remember, when you go to fill up your tank at the gas station, that this war on Iran was a war of choice by Trump and Netanyahu that is not only inflating the price of oil but everything else in our economy connected to oil.

And suddenly, looking at an economy based on alternative energy looks a whole lot better and more affordable.

Just remember the next time somebody wants to praise our veterans that we are all veterans of the wars and the economics of war. Another world can only be imagined once this current regime is thrown out of office and the scoundrels impeached and convicted. 

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s final warning was against the growing power of the “military-industrial complex.” In his farewell address on Jan. 17, 1961, he stated, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” The Cost: He noted that every weapon built takes money away from basic human needs, like feeding the hungry or building schools.

Breakdown by Major Conflict 

(Adjusted for Inflation)

Korean War (1950–1953): Estimated at approximately $530 billion (in today’s dollars). 

Vietnam War (1955–1975): Estimated at around $1.0 trillion to $1.03 billion/trillion scale, including broad economic disruption.

Cold War (1947–1991): Spanning proxy wars, nuclear buildup and general readiness, costs total roughly $5.5 trillion.

Post-9/11 wars (War on Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan): Estimated at more than $8.1 trillion by the Costs of War Project at Brown University, which factors in long-term veterans’ care and interest on debt.

Recent Middle East / Iran Conflict Operations: Ongoing operational and energy-related burdens have added tens of billions more (with domestic fuel consumer impacts topping $80+ billion).