Nobody Remembers the Costs of U.S. Wars

Nobody Remembers

“War. Un What is it good for, absolutely nothing.”

Remember that song? ( See Edwin Starr sing it at the end…cool song.)

I was thinking today, about how Ronald Reagan crushed Russia. We are told that, Ronald got together with world leaders, and managed to bankrupt the Bear. But, Russia did that to herself didn’t she? Ten long years of war in Afghanistan, and after that war, Russia was ripe to fall. Reagan saw his chance and took it.

America, has done much the same thing: Spent trillions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Obama has now retreated. But, according to Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, we have an even bigger problem now:

“They are  as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen. They’re beyond just a terrorist group. This is beyond anything we’ve seen. We must prepare for everything.”–Hagel

So, I thought, in contemplation of the upcoming war with ISIS, we’d review the costs of wars and contemplate, our upcoming expenses:

These costs were based on the 2008 dollars, so add inflationary numbers to all:

American Revolution (1775-1783) $1.825 billion: Between 4,400 and 6,800 battle deaths.

War of 1812 (1812-1815) $1.177 billion: 2,260 battle deaths.

Mexican War (1846-1849) $1.801 billion: 1,733 battle deaths.

Civil War...Confederacy (1861-1865) $15.244billion: 94,000 battle deaths.

Civil War…Union (1861-1865) $45.199 billion: 140,414 battle deaths.

Spanish American War (1898-1899) $6.848 billion: 385 battle deaths.

World War I (1917-1918) $253 billion: 53,513 battle deaths.

World War II (1941-1945) $4.114 trillion: 292,131 battle deaths.

Korean War (1950-1953) $320 billion: 33,629 battle deaths.

Vietnam War (1965-1975) $686 billion: 47,393 battle deaths.

Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) $96 billion: 146 battle deaths.

Afghanistan War (2001-) $800 billion: 906 battle deaths.(could not find updated info)

Iraq War (2003-) $1.7 trillion, 3,489 battle deaths., (Now near 5,000)

And $4 trillion in interest alone.

The costs do not include veterans benefits, war debts, or assistance to our allies. Casualties do not include civilians, noncombat deaths, those wounded or missing in action.

The report concluded the United States gained little from the Iraq war while Iraq was traumatized by it. The war reinvigorated radical Islamist militants in the region, set back women’s rights, and weakened an already precarious healthcare system, the report said. Meanwhile, the $212 billion reconstruction effort was largely a failure with most of that money spent on security or lost to waste and fraud.

As we watch the new evil of ISIS threatening the U.S., many experts believe that we will be hit on our own soil, thanks to Obama’s open border policies.

So, how much will the NEXT US war cost us?

Nobody Knows. But we do know one thing:

It will cost more than all others combined.

August 22, 2014 - Posted by Joyanna Adams | Uncategorized, War, World History | American History, War