Anti-War: Why we don't hear the other side

War is hell. We as a society know this, acknowledge that war is an ugly, messy affair. We know the effects war has on soldiers, terms such as "shell-shock", "combat fatigue", "soldier's heart" and "war neurosis" are all terms used to describe throughout time the brutal results of war on soldiers, not to mention regular people whose lives are destroyed because of it. 

But war makes money. After WWII, the United States was in a unique position, being one of the only belligerents in WWII who came out the other side better for it. Using this position, the United States asserted its authority now as "leader of the free world" Since then, the United States has engaged in numerous lesser conflicts for various reasons

Money, oil, ideas, threats, attacks, all pretexts for various wars over time. Throughout the cold war, the United States has continued to assert its authority and policed the world. As the U.S. is in such a position, for them to be not in conflict presents a significant security risk. The United States military is so strong in part because of their immense budget, but mainly because of the well trained, battle hardened troops the budget funds. 

The wars the United States has taken place in since WWII could almost be called training missions, to keep the troops well regimented for the main threat, the USSR, and now Russia/China. And it works. In 2018, the New York Times wrote about an engagement between around 500 Syrian soldiers, including trained Russian mercenaries and 40 U.S. soldiers in Syria. Reports listed around 200-300 Syrian/Russian deaths, with 0 injuries or deaths reported from the United States. Battle hardened and tested soldiers do better than those fresh out of basic training. 

Syrian troops receiving treatment at hospital after aforementioned engagement 

So with the immense wealth the defense industry has at it's disposal, and it's clear objective to have well trained troops, it makes sense that the defense industry will use some of that wealth to support pro-war sentiments, and attempt to quiet anti-war ones. It is up to us, the people, to recognize the situation, and take measures separate from what is most easily accessible, and attempt to gain insight into other perspectives to have a more well-rounded understanding of what goes on day to day.