The Positive Side of Re- entry % of post- 9/11 veterans saying they have experienced
Veterans who have served in the post-9/11 era have a more positive view than the general public about the overall worth of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and the tactics the military has used to wage them. Even so, in a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2011, only one-third (34%) of these recent veterans said that both wars have been worth fighting; nearly as many (33%) said neither conflict had been worth the costs.
However, despite those mixed views and the hardships veterans have endured in the service and in their re-entry into civilian life, they have positive views of their experience.
The Positive Side of Re- entry  | % of post- 9/11 veterans saying they have experienced  | each since discharge  | Combat  | Noncombat  | 98  | Felt proud that they  | had served  | 94  | 95  | Had people thankthem  | for their service  | 88  | 86  | Appreciated life more  | 77  | Note: Based on post-9/11 veterans, n=712,  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER V/43 