President Barack Obama announced Friday the complete withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. On campus, news of the war's end brought about reflection from veterans and their advocates on the nearly nine-year conflict.
The current 41,000 troops stationed in Iraq wil leave the country by the Dec. 31, 2011 deadline.
""The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops,"" President Obama said in a statement.
Iraq War veteran and UW-Madison student Stephen Lee said he supports the withdrawal deadline.
""[The withdrawal] a good thing because I didn't see an end to it other than to just arbitrarily say ‘hey, we're getting out of here.' As far as I could tell, there were no stated goals,"" Lee said.
Lee said he couldn't accurately portray what Iraqi citizens thought of the U.S. presence.
""When I was in Iraq I saw a whole spectrum of different opinions from [Iraqis] who didn't want us there at all to Iraqi's who said they liked us being there just because our presence was in line with their goals for their country"", Lee said.
Assistant Dean of Students and Veterans Affairs John Bechtol said the United States ""set Iraq up with success"" in the end.
""For the Iraqis to have a voice in their government, that's something completely alien to most of them, and over the time we've been there, they now see they have a voice in determining their own future,"" said Bechtol.
But Bechtol said many Iraqi citizens might still not be comfortable with the transition to democracy.
With democracy ""there's a little more turmoil, not chaos, but it can certainly seem concerning to people [who] have had every aspect of their life controlled up to that point.""
Bechtol also mentioned being out of Iraq would give the U.S. a ""more strategic reserve"" with more troops available to be sent to Afghanistan and other parts of the world.
The withdrawal of troops in Iraq brings back thousands of soldiers to their homes in Wisconsin and the rest of the country.
""Having the mission draw to an end, ends a chapter in our nation's history, a chapter in which a lot of Wisconsinites and Madisonians were a part of,"" Lee said.
