From the Jan. 6, 2011, Chicago Tribune
VIETNAM WAR-- (Began August 1964)-- After a US warship was allegedly attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Johnson ordered air strikes. US troops arrived in South Vietnam the following year. After peace talks failed in 1968, the US began to withdraw, with the last ground troops leaving in 1973. The war sharply divided America.
PERSIAN GULF WAR-- (Began Jan. 17, 1991)-- Iraq invaded Kuwait the previous year, causing a US-led coalition to threaten Iraq if it did not leave. When it did not, the coalition pushed the Iraqi military out of Kuwait and bombed the infrastructure throughout Iraq, which ultimately led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. The operation lasted until Feb. 28.
THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN-- (Began Oct. 7, 2001)-- After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the US demanded that Afghanistans's ruling Taliban arrest members of al-Qaida, which the US blamed for the attacks. When the Taliban refused, US and British troops launched an invasion, culminating in the removal of the Taliban and the installation of a US-friendly government. Conflict between Taliban insurgents and US and coalition forces has continued.
The public initially supported the invasion but has since soured on the operation and its increasing cost to taxpayers.
THE WAR IN IRAQ-- (Began March 20, 2003)-- After President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2002 repeatedly accused Iraq of continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction and plotting with terrorists against the US and its allies, the US launched an invasion. US combat operations ended in August.
Detractors say that the real reason for the invasion had more to do with Bush's interest in obtaining oil-drilling contracts for US firms. Public support for the war was initially high, but it declined as US casualties continued to mount and evidence of the mass destruction weapons never surfaced.
So, Now You Know About the US Wars. --Cooter
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