War in Afghanistan / Iraq
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War in Afghanistan / Iraq
The nation’s most recent conflicts have taken place in Afghanistan, starting in 2001 after the attack on the World Trade Center, and in Iraq, beginning in 2003. Even though the military is now an all-volunteer force, Columbians have and are serving in the military in both theaters of action. Perhaps the most important contribution Columbia has made in these conflicts is as a school of choice for returning veterans. Columbia currently boasts the largest number of returning veterans in the Ivy League.
Josh Arthur, Columbia Class of 2004, with his Columbia "good luck" banner in Baghdad, Iraq, in a photo taken in December 2006. Arthur, who was the only Army cadet in his graduating class, writes: "To earn and keep the respect of fighting men is a special charge, and the very real, life-and-death decisions of combat leaders present challenges that no other line of work can provide." - Information Center for U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University