Expensive War

There are many costs to war, literally. I am not talking about death being a price; I am talking about money. War is a very expensive thing. There are so many things to be payed for. From vehicles to payroll, war costs money because we always need to be bigger and better than the other side. I mean, we are the United States of America, and we do have a reputations for having the strongest army and the largest and most destructive weapons. Just to give you a glimpse of how much war costs I have decided to pull in some media sources to help better my point. Here is a video from YouTube that lists the top five most expensive military weapons on earth.

         Billions and billions of dollars go into military weapons, but why? It's all about scare-factor. When the United States realized that North Korea had developed nuclear weapons in 2009, the level of mass destruction increased drastically, which resulted in the US developing larger and more precise weapons. This resulted in more money being spent on war efforts. I am not saying that we don't need to make these advancements. To be honest, we need to keep up with our competitors; however, we do need to realize that we have more areas than need more money than others. So, the money that is being put toward weapon development is probably a little extreme in my opinion.

Let's look at a more specific cost of war. The Iraq war has cost the US citizens around two-trillion dollars, and it doesn't stop there. 

 

        As US citizens, we will probably be paying for this war for a very long time. Like Larry Korb said, had the US of known what would of happened in ten years we probably wouldn't have pressed forward with invading Iraq like we did; however, we had to take a chance, and the consequences of this war not only falls on Iraq, but it does fall on us, the tax payers.

So, what do we do about something like this? Why should our money, as tax payers, continue to go toward war costs? Why not? It's honestly a big deal that can quickly go unnoticed because we have to be bigger and better at everything. 

How War Has Changed: A Photo Essay

        Certain this in life never really change. The food we eat stays pretty standard, the government system has continued it's same traditions for almost one hundred years, and people will always talk the same way. However, war has had dramatic changes in the two hundred thirty-seven years the United States has existed. To better explain myself, here are some photos that I have found that greatly show the changes in war.

(To see more American Revolutionary War photos, click here)

This is a photo of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Trenton. Notice that Washington is riding a horse, the weapons consist of swords, gun powdered rifles with bayonets, and gun powder cannons. Something to specifically notice in this photo is the attire that the soldiers are wearing. Everything from the hats don to their boots really portray the war during the colonial period.

(To see more pictures from the Battle of Vicksburg click here)

This is a drawing of the Battle of Vicksburg that took place during the Civil War. To be honest, not a whole lot changed from the American Revolutionary War to the Civil War in terms of operation and what ammunition and weapons were used. The most significant different would definitely be the uniforms.

(Click here to go to the article where this image was found)

This particular image from World War I shows British infantrymen staying low in a trench just as they are about to advance in the Battle of the Somme. Trenches were a large improvement to World War I, but soldiers could occupy a trench for several days or weeks. There were also many other advances in this war including tanks, ships, and much more efficient ammo and uniforms. Notice that the soldiers pictured here are wearing what looks to be much stronger helmets than that of the Civil War.

(To learn about the Naval Battle of Midway, click here)

A major change in World War II is that most countries, by then at least, had sustainable air crafts. So, this led to them being used in the war. Technology advanced in so many ways in World War II because most of everything being produced was for the war effort. 

(To see more Korean War photos, click here)

Because the Korean War started in 1950, shortly after World War II ended, not a lot of advancement was made in how wars function and what instruments of destruction were used. 

(To read more about Vietnam, click here)

The Vietnam War was a trying time for a lot of people. Honestly, that time frame, overall, was a trying to time for everyone. There was so much going on, and only so much could have been done about certain things. One thing is certain, the U.S. did lose this conflict, but we did not lose out advancements in technology in this war. The helicopter became a major player in this war. unlike airplanes, helicopters can be landed just about anywhere, as long as the surface is flat. So, this was excellent for quick drop offs or get-a-ways during battle.

(To learn more about the War on Terrorism, click here)

The War on Terrorism, still taking place today, has so much that can be said about it. From IED's (improvised explosive devices), to the latest computer chip, this war has the best technology available in terms of operation, function, and even durability. Uniforms, like the one above, have changed so much in the past fifty years. Ammunition is now automatic, bombs are more powerful than ever, and war vehicles can now cross just about any terrain with hardly any effort at all. However, because of these advances in technology, the opponents have figured out how to make technological advances, and to be quite honest, that just makes the job that much harder.