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Regretted Wars: Veterans of Vietnam and Iraq Compare Experiences

Jonathon Colman
Protest sign at United for Peace rally and march on Washington, DC

A recent poll shows that a majority of Americans (71%) now say the war in Iraq “wasn’t worth it.” That’s similar to sentiments from the Vietnam era about that conflict.

This led us to the question: What is it like to serve in a war that is regretted to this extent?

"We didn't have any parades when we came back from Vietnam," says Vietnam veteran Tony Powers.

Today on River to River, we look at the similarities between the conflict in Iraq and the Vietnam War with veterans from both conflicts. And, political analyst Dennis Goldford provides context on public opinion and politics during both time periods.

Today's guests include:

Dennis J. Goldford, Professor of Political Science at Drake University

Michael Mortensen, Iraq veteran

Tony Powers, Vietnam veteran

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River