OPINION: We owe veterans much more than thanks and praise on Veterans Day
Wars are costly in the extreme. The Vietnam war cost $168 billion, or $1 trillion in today’s dollars. Post-war benefits for veterans and their families have cost about $22 billion per year since 1970. The Iraq War will cost almost $3 trillion dollars —about $2 trillion in direct costs and another trillion for long-term care for veterans. The war in Afghanistan cost about $2 trillion, not counting care for its veterans.
Even more than the money, those wars caused the deaths of thousands of our finest men and women in arms. 58,220 Americans, including 251 Idahoans, died in the Vietnam War. 153,303 troops were wounded. Many are still dying from causes such as suicide, substance abuse and exposure to toxins. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan left 7,085 military fatalities and 53,533 wounded service members.
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