Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the coalition of armed forces led by the United States.

The war left a definitive mark on the lives and experiences of students across the globe and here at N.C. State.

The war began in a time when global terrorism, for the first time, hit the U.S. at home and allegations of weapons of mass destruction were as genuine as they were ominous to the George W. Bush Administration. 

Faced with the perceived threat of Saddam Hussein’s prolonged tyrannical rule, the militaries of the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, Poland and Peshmerga Kurdish militia invaded Iraq to, in the words of George Bush in his radio address to the U.S. people, “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.”

Polls conducted by The Gallup Poll, CNN, and USA Today in 2003 indicated that most Americans were in favor of the war in Iraq under the condition that the United Nations would have approved of the invasion. This, however, was not the case: The U.N. Security Council found there was not enough evidence of weapons of mass destruction to authorize the use of force.

March 19, 2003, the U.S. made the decision to invade Hussein’s Iraq.  A decision a majority of Americans   — 53 percent, Gallup Poll — today view as a mistake.

Justified or not, those who were involved or directly affected by the war have insights unmatched by the general population.

Russell Snyder, a graduate of N.C. State, veteran of the Iraq War and author of his accounts of psychological warfare in Iraq, Hearts and Mines, was permanently changed by the war. 

“[The war] transformed me in ways I still don’t understand. The sort of sensory experiences and emotions that one struggles with in such an environment have a tendency to be intense and long-lasting. They infect my dreams and waking thoughts. I don’t really count years. Iraq is always with me, and probably always will be in some form,” Snyder said in an email.

Mohammad Hamoudi, a sophomore in textile engineering who has family Iraq, has been personally affected by the war.  His uncle, an Iraqi native, was killed in Syria by vengeful Iraqis. Hamoudi’s uncle was a pilot in Saddam’s military, and his uncle’s involvement in the military was not because he was anti-American or pro-Saddam, but rather because he was a pilot.

However, the effects of the death on his family was not the end of the war’s influence on Hamoudi’s life.  Hamoudi was forced to bear the brunt of stereotypes at the hands of his peers at school in Raeford, a small town outside of Fayetteville.

“No one really cared why we were going into Iraq. Where I was from, it was just about getting the enemy. Now I am the enemy,” Hamoudi said. “It was so different from before the war. People called me names or terrorist. I just went along with it, I just tried brushing it off. It just became the new normal.”

Despite these unjustifiable insults, Hamoudi said he remains proud of his Iraqi heritage. 

Students in the Army ROTC program at N.C. State grew up in the midst of this war, and many recognize the possibility of deploying into combat zones as an inevitable part of their military careers. 

“I understand the risks, I know that going into the Army this is what I signed up for,” Matt Williamitis, a corporal in ROTC and sophomore in aerospace engineering, said.

Many members of ROTC were motivated to join the military after the September 11th attacks. Charles Sessoms, a junior in ROTC, expressed that although he would have joined the armed services anyway, 9/11 influenced his decision to become an infantry officer.

Politically active students at the University have differing viewpoints about whether the invasion of Iraq was a good idea.

Taylor McLamb, president of the N.C. State College Republicans, and senior in political science, said that in her opinion the invasion was justified considering the facts which were known at the time. Moreover, she added that although her political group is by no means homogeneous, the majority of its members have similar opinions.

McLamb commended President Barack Obama for continuing the occupation of Iraq, and pulling out U.S. troops in a slow transition.  On the other hand, Anne Fristoe, junior in political science and president of N.C. State College Democrats, said she was never in favor of the war in Iraq.