2011

The events of September 11, 2001, changed the world forever. For the first time in modern history, the homeland of the United States was attacked in a significant manner triggering a military response against international terrorism supported by an extreme fundamentalist ideology. The all-volunteer-military, composed of both regular and reserve forces, has fought two wars on two fronts for nearly 10 years resulting in multiple deployments to an inhospitable region of the world that has experienced centuries of political and religious strife. Soldiers have confronted an elusive armed civilian force and have faced a populous not necessarily eager to accept democracy or recognize the military presence as liberating.