Posted on Nov 18, 2014
How do you think history will remember OIF/OEF?
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Fifty plus years from now, how do you think history will remember OIF/OEF? Do you believe that they will be remembered as just or unjust wars? Will school children learn of the larger operations like Operation Anaconda in the way we learned about individual WWII battles, or will they be overlooked in order to present the conflicts in a more macro fashion? How do you think future text books and our future culture will look upon this generation of warfighters and the conflicts they took part in?
Posted in these groups: 
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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This is certainly an interesting question. I am a history teacher now, and our generation's wars are showing up in textbooks. 50 years from now, I think these wars will be looked upon in ways that are comparable to how we study the Vietnam War, but without all of the discussion of social inequalities and the draft.
I can also see these wars being taught as a series of ongoing Middle East conflicts, where major policy changes and political movements are the focus, rather than actions on the ground. I was once told by a history teacher that the most important things to teach about war are the things that happen before and after. As a veteran, I tend to disagree. I believe that there are lessons to be learned from the service and sacrifices of those in uniform, regardless of the politics surrounding the war in question.
I wonder what great films, poetry, and literature will come from our wars? Will there be a 21st century Hemingway? What fantastic pieces will be read and analyzed to help students understand what life was like in combat?
It'll be interesting to see...
I can also see these wars being taught as a series of ongoing Middle East conflicts, where major policy changes and political movements are the focus, rather than actions on the ground. I was once told by a history teacher that the most important things to teach about war are the things that happen before and after. As a veteran, I tend to disagree. I believe that there are lessons to be learned from the service and sacrifices of those in uniform, regardless of the politics surrounding the war in question.
I wonder what great films, poetry, and literature will come from our wars? Will there be a 21st century Hemingway? What fantastic pieces will be read and analyzed to help students understand what life was like in combat?
It'll be interesting to see...
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Cpl Jon Westbrook
I'm working on the Hemingway part. If only I could master Parataxis and Iceberg Theory....
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SSG(P) Jarrod Taylor
I'm writing as well. I've gotten a handful of short pieces published, and I'm currently working my way through my Iraq journal on my blog. Unfortunately, I am also having trouble telling these stories without spending a lot of time and space providing explanations and context.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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Cpl Jon Westbrook
One thing that helped me is to tell the story as an observer. Try a Roman a clef from the point of view of a fictional character, that way you can focus on what matters to you in your story without writing what is essentially a memoir. It really allows you to have more artistic freedom with your stories while still conveying the message you want. Or just leave out the explanations altogether, think A Farewell to Arms. And the best part is, you can tell the story the way you want, even rewrite your own history.
Good luck man! We need more writers on here.
Good luck man! We need more writers on here.
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SFC (Join to see)
Unfortunately I think it will be remembered like the Balkan Crisis (2 wars centered on Serbia) prior to WWI. I think they will be viewed as a preamble to something larger. But, I may be a cynic.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
Yea, its a mystery, thought we were done in 2011, 2014 to have over 1,500 troops over there in Iraq and increasing. What's going on?
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I think they will probably be viewed in a larger context of many American wars in the Middle East, starting with Lebanon in the 80s through the Gulf War in the 90s, etc., though I think it will take longer than 50 years to get that perspective. I don't think school children will learn of Operation Anaconda or Phantom Fury in the way we learned of The Battle of The Bulge or Iwo Jima. Most of the public is just too far removed from the war.
Also, it lacks the moral clarity of WWII, which is one of the things that makes it so nostalgic. Though I am proud of my service there, I can't help but think that history will show it as a costly series of bad ideas, wishful thinking, and lost opportunities.
Also, it lacks the moral clarity of WWII, which is one of the things that makes it so nostalgic. Though I am proud of my service there, I can't help but think that history will show it as a costly series of bad ideas, wishful thinking, and lost opportunities.
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