Iraq 20 years later: 3 vets reflect on the war they fought | Nightline 

The fact that around 400,000 Iraqis lost their lives is the telling factor. The vast majority innocent civilians all of sudden caught up in a situation from which they had no control.

"The wars will end and the leaders will shake hands, and that old woman will remain waiting for her martyred son, and that girl will wait for her beloved husband, and the children will wait for their heroic father, I do not know who sold the homeland but I know who paid the price" - Mahmoud Darwish

I was on a plane about a week ago and some old fella sitting beside me started telling me how stupid the invasion of Iraq had been and how beautiful the country was when his military unit went in. I couldn't figure out why he was telling me this but now I see it was anniversary time. "There are no winners in war, only widows and orphans."

That US Colonel is full of it. He is saying what his masters want him. You think he’s gonna say that the war wasn’t legit being active in the military?! A career man? 😂

Who’s going to tell the story of the innocent people they killed and terrorized?

what about the media's role in all of this? a bit of self reflection never hurts

no mass weapons....just oil

War is a terrible human experience that no one should have to experience, regardless if you wear a uniform or just an innocent bystander. I hope all that were involved in Iraq: combatants, insurgents, civilians, and anyone who experienced this horrific event are able to find some comfort and peace. Great story ABC.

Proud of the Iraqi people for resisting the illegal invasion of their country. They are the heroes.

I was there 19 years ago in April. Spent 17 months in Iraq and like that marine put it, I've been in the deep end ever since. I did a total of 6 deployments 3 of which were in the middle east. Nothings been the same nothing ever will be the same that's just the way it is now. One thing I try not to do is stop and look back, I a get lost.

I loss my brother after the war. I don't know what killed him, no one at the military hospital said anything. I still hurt.

a beautifully raw segment, thank you for putting so much thoughtfulness into how to tell the story of such a difficult experience

I haft to wonder how much of that officers answer about the war is due to him still being in uniform vs becoming a veteran. I have to think inside he might have a different answer. When I deployed to Iraq for the first ever rotation in. I also thought we were there to help and do good. And after I left I knew they hated our guts. All of my uncles x2 stories who served in the Marines during Vietnam. Their stories range hard in my mind. I did 3 tours in Iraq with the first two being hard tours, allot of funerals. The 3rd was my last as I was injured. After how Iraq ended. I honestly don't feel any of it was worth the lives of my friends. I feel like their lives were thrown away in another pointless war we should have never been in. Afghanistan was just Vietnam 3 at this point. And now people want to throw our nations kids into another war over seas. Maybe 2 wars at the same time. Its just insane how ok we are with this in the US these days.

It’s crazy I just turned 24 I’m almost done with college. And I’ve been seriously considering joining doing my part while I’m still young and able too. But that guy literally said “I felt like I sold my body”

I went to Iraq In 04-05, I needed to hear this.

US soldiers died for nothing. Iraqi people defended their land and they're the true heroes.

My Dad was a Marine in the War he was shot Md stabbed and blown up he lost a lot of friends he lived he has PTSD and he has really bad pain and lost his teeth GOD BLESS him and all the other SOLDIERS AMEN

As a Navy Veteran you suffer not just from combat but the loss of identity when you get home. I loved the Navy and when I became a civilian it took years to recover. I know combat just intensifies that feeling of loneliness and isolation. I've known a few guys who have committed suicide.

They have killed millions of children... And they are still free... How injustice!!!

“Probably some of the Iraqis wonder why we are force feeding them this system meanwhile back home our system it self is broken.”

युद्ध से कभी किसी का भला नहीं हुआ और न आगे होगा सबसे ज्यादा क्षति आम लोगों की होती है जो मर गए या विस्थापन का दंश झेलते हैं

Col giving that answer trying to get promoted to Brigadier General 😂

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years already, 18 for me because I went there in 2005.

It’s crazy it’s been 14 years since I returned from afghan. I always think about my deployment but watching this video makes it feel like it was yesterday.

My Grandpa was a Marine back in Korea, and I always looked up to him for what he did for our Country. I wanted to be like him, I almost joined the Marines right out of high school back in 1999, but my Grandpa told me that if I stayed home that he would cover all my college expenses. I never did join the Marines, instead I did two years Pensacola Christian College and two years at Rogue Community College, and here I am 20 years later as a Paramedic in Medford, Oregon. My Grandpa saved my life, his actions kept me out of harm's way. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this .

I don't care about the 4000 American dead , they went looking for it . I mourn all those Iraqi civilians that died at the hands of American soldiers and American presence.

I was so happy to be retiring when this was getting thick. I had no belief in the mission and used my time invested to follow my conscience. WMD my as.

I love reading all these comments from people who have never seen war, never taken indirect or been in a firefight.

I’ve seen enough “soldiers reflect” videos for one lifetime. Where is the video “ ABC editors reflect on the Iraq War?” Where is the video “Phil Donahue reflects on his firing from MSNBC for criticizing Bush”? Where is the video “How Knight Ridder tried to war about Iraq”?

Imagine going to war with your friends hoping to find these weapons of mass destruction and leave with the guilt of killing innocent civilians and coming home without your friends

never forget these guys werent even drafted, they joined willingly lmao

All these vets with a guilty conscious

It’s still hard to believe it’s been 20 years. I wish I understood the true reality of the Iraq war when I was a kid. Now at 28 I know that the war was 90% lies 10% truth.

War in iraq was usa fault. There was no risk to usa from iraq. War in afghanistan is justifiable as terrorists attacked usa but we should have returned from afghanistan after laden was killed. Another 10 years in afghan was a waste for usa.

“No identity” that is what real ptsd does to a person.I hope we start caring about young children and adults with cPTSD and not “just” military casualties (also not assume all veterans were subjected to war nor in same way). The non active military in this video are still being brave speaking up and out now. Thank you.

Smedley Butler was the marine that had the courage to tell the truth of the wars he fought for. But the one the Marines never like to discuss.

No single politicians are held accountable for this unjustified war. So many Iraqi citizens, soldiers and Americans soldiers died based on a fat lie. 😢

PTSD is serious.

Thank you............

Your father was killing innocent people, women and children and yet you want pity for his death

This country needs to do more for its soldiers, too often they are uprooted away from their families and deployed to other parts of the world without even giving a damn about the 2 or 3 month old child they recently had and now have to leave.. our military shouldnt take more from its soldiers than it gives!

my father served in iraq, British special forces. i've never met the man but the stories i was told. are crazy to me but yet he is also a inspo for me to enlist.

The worse part for a veteran is fighting for the man next to you, knowing you fought for Washington politics for nothing.

imagine reporting an invasion and only focusing on the invaders' "pain" and "emotion"

8:34 False. It's not love it's addiction. Combat adrenaline is a powerfull drug.

yeah it is tough, i remember iraq and afghanistan almost everyday.

This is so beautiful… and so tragic

We literally can't afford another war.

The loss of identity is real. Life ended for most of us when we finally got back "home."

You can tell the military guy is so political when he talks. 20 years of being around it

If the soldiers came back with PTSD what more the lifetime of horrors for civilians in Iraq… the children whose homes where being flattened …

I was there 😞I’m so sorry

After the murderous invasion and destruction the officer uniform still won't admit it was literally dead wrong.

My daughter served in basra. She wasnt the same when she came home. Rip to ALL those who lost there lives.

Rest in Peace 1st Sgt. Edward Smith. That man had a plan evidently. He was a military lifer about to retire, means he joined at 18 and stuck with it for 20 years. I can safely bet that he was probably gonna put another 15-20 years in as a police officer and retire from that as well. Talk about being set up for retirement. 2 government pensions, plus social security, plus whatever money he saved up. Too bad it didn't get to be realized. He was a doer, that's for sure.

Any one who needs to talk iam here do my best to help my brothers

I don't blame the marines because they were told the same lies we were, but they had the opportunity to change the reality of future wars.

How could you say you are so proud for ye profession

Proud of the resisting Iraqi people against the illegal invasion

So, when do we hear the stories of the millions of innocent Iraqis who were terrorized and killed?

I’d to see a video of the reporters reporting the war and what they thought

American military personnel have always spouted this line about 'fighting for my country and protecting my country and it's freedom'. Non-Americans living outside of The States are always wincing, baffled at this level of ignorance and indoctrination; they sound so childlike, gullible and dumb, do they REALLY believe that's what these wars are about?! Afghanistan and Iraq posed absolutely no direct threat to the United States and their 'freedoms' were never at risk, do me a favour. The invasion of Iraq with the 9/11 attacks being referred to as the impetus just baffled me: the 9/11 terrorists (and by extension, the country involved) were largely from Saudia Arabia. This sad dependency on Saudi Oil etc kept American politicians awfully quiet about criticising (or retaliating against) their horrible ally, the one who appeared to have put skin in the game. Instead the American military and government fooled hundreds of millions of halfwits, hypnotising them by repeating 'Iraq Iraq Iraq' over and over, tying that country to the horror of 9/11. They NEVER mentioned where the people involved were from, and journalists and newspaper editors seemed to play along with leaving that important detail out, peddling the State-ordered propaganda instead. Saudi Arabia didn't get so much as a slap on the wrists in the press, and so an entire Nation continues to be treated like the soft-headed lazy morons they are. No wonder so many people felt it was an inside job. The entire thing reeked, those wars all plain insanity.

How do you invade a country, murder hundreds of thousands of civilians and call yourself a hero? All of them are terrorists and all of them should be in prison.

May God have mercy on this leaders for the millions of innocent children mothers fathers brothers sisters who have died from wars..

That Poo pond in Afghanistan when a explosive devise would explode poop everywhere. When the wind changed directions and it hit the DFAC, the meal was OVER. 😅 SO MANY burn pits. I did Mortuary Affairs over there and it aas awful. I'm glad I was able to bring our brothers ans sisters home with all their things.❤

“Going back in harms way” is NOT always LOVE ..no matter what the career military guy in this video claims; it is a sign of ptsd and/or other mental health issues (mental health eroded by conditions).

Thank you to all our veterans who left the comforts and support of home, missed birthdays, holidays, births and passings, and worked in intolerable situations under extraordinary stress; not the stress civilians claim to suffer. I apologize that when you returned we were oblivious to what the real world outside of our bubble is like. For those who make ignorant comments about your service you just have to consider the source. Maybe they will institute the Draft, again, and they’ll get it. All that aside, I pray for you and cannot imagine our country without you. We are far from what we could be as a nation, but it’s the one we have.

9:54 - this. This is the question I’ve had for the last 12 years. Everyday there’s a battle within, I’m on my 3rd marriage/family being over, bouts of homelessness, addiction, BS

im glad i watched this

Bro we did nothing there Jesus what a waste of life poor souls

I was a freshman in college on 9/11, and my university was down the street from one of the destinations of the hijacked planes so it was very intense on campus. Even at 18, I had friends in every branch of our military, and even more signed up after that attack. When we invaded Iraq, my first reaction was, “This will be my generation’s Vietnam: a war started under false pretenses, and once the public realizes it, our returning troops and veterans will be treated like garbage.” Sadly, I was right. Both parties have done a piss-poor job of taking care of our veterans, especially those combat vets who return from war. We take better care of the vets who return home in coffins…but not their families. We need to change something about American culture, so that we learn to actually APPRECIATE and CARE for our veterans. It’s not enough to say “I support our troops” - the question is, what do you DO for our troops when they return from war? For far too many Americans, the answer is not a damn thing, and for still others, the answer is you attack them and ostracize them. Is it any wonder that we have a recruitment problem? We need to make serving in the military the prestigious path it once was, and that starts with taking better care of the veterans we currently have. We must completely change the VA as well, since it has never adequately served our military or our military families, regardless of which party was in charge. God bless 🇺🇸 and may God protect our troops. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 #WomanLifeFreedom 💚🤍❤️🦁☀️

Imagine e what the people in Gaza are facing into down the road

27, glad I didn’t join, these recent wars weren’t right vs wrong, govt lied to all those soldiers

10:00 It was in the high twenties per day when I was retired from the military in 2015.

Capt Johnson is one accident away from turning into the joker, of course in his eyes it was worth it. 😉

the pause before the colonel answered is all you need to know. he knows it was a war in vain but he can't say that because he's still active.

Peace to the people of Iraq, they endured imperialist hell for hegemony & their God given resources.

sorry but its really hard for me to have synpathy for these US vets. They CHOSE to go to Iraq and join that baseless war, killing and ruining the lives of millions. The innocent Iraqis didn't have a choice. They were killed and suffered at the hands of the US for reasons I will never understand

Even before the war, in the 1990s, the US imposed murderous sanction on Iraq which caused the UN inspectors to resign in protest. Their people need justice.

A friend of mine got split in 2 by an accidental discharge of a .50 cal machine gun. He left a 4 year old daughter behind. No more lies and no more stupid wars.

I’m ashamed of what we did over there. And I’ve already forgotten all of the sacrifices these people made and I’m a veteran. How must other people feel who don’t even have that connection?

I wonder why Bush and Blair cannot be prosecuted for this saga.

I have a feeling producers of these segments avoid psycho/bloodthirsty veterans,and pick more thoughtful ones, since you do come across the former frequently here & there on the internet boasting of their brutality.

I hope you don’t get a good nights sleep, the only people I feel sorry for the Iraqis

Halliburton's board of directors thanks American soldiers and Iraqi civilians for their sacrifice so that they could get ROIs of 200%+ just in the first three years alone. God bless the loyal American taxpayer.

20 years for me next year, feels like a lifetime ago now…….

OIL NAVY SEAL

I have never been a soldier and these guys are all very brave men!! The problem is , when your that age (young) you have no experience. You can't know then what you know now!!! You have to live in the present..... Alot of what happens in the world Is pointless, so I get their frustrations. They done a job, what they were ordered to do.

Idk why the media focuses on the negative. I enjoyed it. And the second deployment.

Rest in Peace First Sergeant Ed Smith. Thank you for taking care of your soldiers.

I grew up with this war going on. I remember wondering if the war would ever end

Well,its the prayers for those inocent souls and thier familes that will keep hunting you……peace will hardly cme yo way again

It’s funny how Americans are now calling Putin a war criminal. Hypocrisy should have some limits. 😂

03/04 22 MEU I MEF Still broken.

Anyone who’s not a Marine or Armed Forces member, will never understand our love for our brothers to the right and left of us. Semper Fi Devil Dogs

I will never forget desert shield/desert storm veterans and their families, no matter what I love you all and will always pray for you and support you. I will never forget.❤🙏🇺🇸💯

Thank you for your service. You went to a foreign land to fight for justice. We wanted justice for 9/11. Willing and able, you followed orders from Uncle Sam. It's not your fault that you were lied about WMD's. It was all a pretext. If there is anyone that should suffer PTSD it is Mr. George W. Bush and his cronies who to this day have blood on their hands. Blood from both our US soldiers and those of Iraqi family. Finally, I say to all of you who answered the call to service. Stay proud and stand tall, and for those service members not with us today, I say to their families, thank you. You are not alone.

We’re a different breed

As someone who served, I feel it was a huge waste. Trillions spent, and the world isn't any safer. Now helping Ukraine fight Russia is something we should be doing 100%. F Putin!!!

Focusing on the perpetrators of this crime, and it is a crime, and how it hurt their feelings is beyond obscene. You should be reporting on the hundreds of thousands that have died because of the war, the millions displaced, the wounded, the trauma, and the after-effects of depleted uranium munitions. I have no respect for people like this, especially senior-grade officers. You CHOSE to be in the position and you bought into it. You are morally culpable for your actions.