It has been over eight years since the US launched combat operations in Afghanistan, and over six and a half years in Iraq. Prior to these military operations, the longest war fought by the US was in Vietnam, from the spring of '65 until the spring of '73. Other unofficial long wars include the Cold War against the USSR from 1945 until 1990, and the frontier wars of conquest against the native Indian tribes and peoples on the North American continent that lasted from early in the 17th century until near 1900. The combined length of both WWI and WWII were less than five and a half years, which says alot about what this mission has been all about and the level of commitment and sacrifice the government, businesses, and citizens of the US are williing to take on.
It is indeed sad to ponder this and all the waste and futility that has occurred. And it is all but absolutely certain these wars will continue on much as The Cold War and Indian Conquest Frontier Wars did for decades to come.
http://agonist.org/nat_wilson_turner/20091202/alan_grayson_on_afghanistan
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/asia/02strategy.html?_r=1&hpw
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