President Obama's announcement Friday that all American troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year may excite military families but it has also sparked debate Iraq's stability without U.S. troops.
Senior sociology major Justin Krowel was stationed in Iraq in 2003 and said it's difficult for him to take a side on the issue.
"It's such a conflict and a complicated issue," he said. "I agree with bringing people home because it's always good for families, bringing their loved ones and their soldiers home. I just don't know exactly if it's a right or wrong decision. It's hard to say. I don't disagree but I don't necessarily agree."
Some 150 to 200 U.S. military troops will stay in Iraq as part of embassy security, according to an Associated Press report.
Those troops include about 160 military personnel to guard the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and manage the continuing military relationship, 4,000 to 5,000 private State Department security contractors, and a significant CIA presence a New York Times report said.
Steve Hall, assistant professor of political science, said he was doubtful when he heard the news.
"I think we should pull out the troops, [but] I'm not sure that's the best thing for the long term stability in Iraq," he said. "Do they have enough stability to make it on their own?"
The invasion of Iraq was initially launched in March of 2003 after reports that the country was developing weapons of mass destruction.
Hall said he did not agree with the purpose of the war to begin with because the weapons of mass destruction were not found. The purpose of the war then shifted to creating democratic political stability, Hall said.
"I'm not sure that's possible in nine years or maybe even 20," he said. "I certainly wouldn't disagree if we could do it. But I'm not sure that we, or anyone else can. Democracy's much more complicated than that ... It's a very long-term process."
Senior computer technology major Hondo Tamez has been stationed in several states during his time in the Navy, including Georgia, Florida, Connecticut and Virginia.
He said the decision to pull the troops will affect the people of Iraq in issues of security.
"I think it will affect [Iraq] by making them rely on their own government for assistance," Tamez said. "But I think it will also leave a lot of the Iraqi citizens wondering who will protect them. They don't really have a full government or full army to protect them if we leave."
More than 4,400 members of the military have been killed and more than 32,000 wounded in the war, which has lasted more than eight years, according to an Associated Press report.
"It certainly put stress on our military and military resources and military families," Hall said. "It's been costly and that cost is important at a time where government budgets are issues of huge national importance."
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. more than $1.3 trillion.
"It's always a good thing to take out a dictator and help liberate a nation," Krowel said. "But at the same time, you can't ignore how much wars cost in today's day and age and the loss of troops and the total expense of all that. I think it'll just be felt for a long, long time."
Tamez said the war has impacted the soldiers coming back from it the most.
"I think it's hurting veterans in the minds of civilians," he said. "I think veterans now are being [treated] more like the Vietnam veterans when they came home ... The veterans now, in the eyes of citizens, I think is toward the negative context because of how long we were over there fighting and the war. I think people have it construed."
Hall said that he believes the decision's impact on the 2012 election will be minor.
"I think that the importance of doing that now as compared to when [Obama] was first elected in 2008 is much diminished because of the economy," he said.
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