One-third of post-9/11 veterans do not believe the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were worth fighting, according to a Pew Research Center poll.
An almost equal number — 34 percent — said both wars have been worth it. When asked about the wars separately, half of post-9/11 veterans said the Afghanistan war was worth it and 44 percent said the same for the Iraq war.
The poll found that 59 percent of post-9/11 veterans supported the military’s strategy of nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 86 percent of veterans of all eras said they support drone attacks.
The poll also asked veterans about their lives returning from wars. Forty-four percent of post-9/11 veterans said they had trouble readjusting to civilian life and 37 percent said they thought they suffered from post-traumatic stress, whether diagnosed or not. Only 16 percent of veterans who served before 9/11 said they suffered from PTSD, according to the poll.
The poll included responses from 1,134 veterans who served before Sept. 11, 2001, and 712 who served after the attacks.
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