Last week was the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War – a war only the deluded and ignorant will say was a war worth fighting.

When the war started, many people in this country were mean drunk on patriotism and the “Support Our Troops” mantra was hardwired into the brains of people who believed Saddam Hussein planned the 911 attacks and had nuclear weapons pointing at Indian and Israel.

But now, much of the misinformation about the Iraq War has been exposed. Saddam didn’t have any weapons. We were never under any threat. And politicians lie. Nonetheless, this knowledge has not transpired into increased skepticism about the U.S. military. And all who serve in the military are still treated with the utmost hero worship.

I don’t mean to bash any individual troops. But I do find it confusing and frustrating that over the past 10 years, the military has used up so much blood and money, yet it’s still considered noble to treat members of the military better than everybody else.

Take for example this little exchange between some commenters on the internet. Quick context: the article was about how schools in Syracuse, NY are considering using retired police officers to work as school resource officers, who will get paid the SRO wage on top of their retirement pension. The plan caused a lot of people to complain about public employees getting “paid too much.”

Anyways, here is the exchange:

At first, I thought Dave T was trolling because I didn’t think retiring at 43 making $50 k was real. But apparently, it is, according to MilitaryWallet.com, which says that a member of the military is eligible for retirement after 20 years and can make $46 k to start if they are a retired officer. So if Dave T went in at 18, he served 25 years by the time he hit 43, making him eligible for what he said. And according to Military Wallet, will end up collecting about $2 million in retirement pensions over the next 40 years, not including benefits.

Jealous? Yes, kind of. That’s a lot of dough to be retiring with at 43. And without knowing what he actually did in the military, I don’t know if it’s just for him to be making that much. If he just retired after having served 20-something years, he was already in the military for 10 years before the Iraq War started (8 for Afghanistan). That makes it unlikely (and I might be wrong about this, but it’s my assumption) that he did much if any infantry time.

Therefore, it is most plausible that Dave T had a rather cushy position, maybe even stateside, for which he gets the benefits, accolades, and virtual handjobs usually reserved for Audie Murphy-type “heroes” from the next two commenters because our society mistakenly believes that everybody who serves in the military is a GI Joe saving the country from arch-enemies.

“You deserve it” and “You deserve to be treated better than the average” and “Thank you for your service” is not just the keyboard vomit results of two random people – it’s a common way of thinking for many people. It’s military worship, and it’s a weird form of fetish that this country needs to ween itself off of because not only is it weird, but it’s too damn expensive.

It’s also evidence of our inability to learn from history. The U.S. hasn’t fought in a war worth fighting since World War 2. Korea, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iraq again – as well as CIA operations all over the world and military operations in Yemen, Pakistan, and Central African Republic –  were not fought because Americans were in danger. They were fought to further the U.S.’s geo-political dominance. So the men (and later women) who fought these wars might be brave, but they are not necessarily heroes – they are, unfortunately, mercenaries paid by the U.S. government to increase U.S. government and business influence.

Again, this is not meant to bash individual troops. And the fact that I have to say that again reflects the sad state we are in when it comes to thinking critically about our military. But it is an obvious fact when one looks at how military operations have been conducted over the last 70 years.

Part of the reason for the military worship that goes on in this country is because most people don’t serve in the military, and there is a level of insecurity from people as a result. Because somebody does not know what it’s like to be in the military, they err on the side of caution and assume that it is the most glorious, brave-hearted action one can do.

Of course, TV and movies that glamorize the men and women in uniform, as well as politicians that constantly cram “Support Our Troops” mantra down people throats doesn’t help either. But I think it’s mainly people’s lack of familiarity with the military as well as the reluctance to look at history to see what military actions have actually accomplished.

A great perspective on Americans’ uncritical praise of the military can be read here, by Aaron B. O’Connell, an assistant professor at the United States Naval Academy. Here’s an excerpt:

Like all institutions, the military works to enhance its public image, but this is just one element of militarization. Most of the political discourse on military matters comes from civilians, who are more vocal about “supporting our troops” than the troops themselves. It doesn’t help that there are fewer veterans in Congress today than at any previous point since World War II. Those who have served are less likely to offer unvarnished praise for the military, for it, like all institutions, has its own frustrations and failings. But for non-veterans — including about four-fifths of all members of Congress — there is only unequivocal, unhesitating adulation. The political costs of anything else are just too high…

Uncritical support of all things martial is quickly becoming the new normal for our youth. Hardly any of my students at the Naval Academy remember a time when their nation wasn’t at war. Almost all think it ordinary to hear of drone strikes in Yemen or Taliban attacks in Afghanistan. The recent revelation of counterterrorism bases in Africa elicits no surprise in them, nor do the military ceremonies that are now regular features at sporting events. That which is left unexamined eventually becomes invisible, and as a result, few Americans today are giving sufficient consideration to the full range of violent activities the government undertakes in their names.

And let me say “Amen!” to the ridiculous amount of military ceremonies at sporting events. Why corporate-sponsored sporting events feel like they are the natural place to conduct military ceremonies and why people seem to like it is just beyond me. Or maybe it is the most natural place, considering the vast corporate interests in both the military and sporting events, but that’s for another blog.

Anyways, the point of this blog is: after 10 years of a pointless war that cost more than 100,000 lives and close to $1 trillion, people need to be more critical of the purpose of the military. And it would help if members of the military told people to chill out when it comes to their GI Joe fetishes.