| Hello John, I’m John Byrnes, strategic director for Concerned Veterans for America, and a veteran of the Marine Corps and Army National Guard who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
For more than two decades, I served alongside men and women who gave everything our country asked of them.
I’ve seen their courage up close — and I’ve seen the cost of policies that kept them in harm’s way long after the mission was done.
That’s why this moment matters.
After more than 20 years of deployments, the United States is drawing down troops in Iraq.
Americans agree: According to CVA’s polling, 7 in 10 say it’s time for every service member to come home from Iraq and Syria.
We are bringing about 20% of our troops home. It’s a step in the right direction — but not the finish line.
Our troops finished their job long ago. The ISIS territorial caliphate is defeated, and Iraq can stand on its own.
Keeping large deployments of Americans there now serves no clear purpose, only adding to the cost of war, including: - Nearly 4,500 American lives lost
- Over 30,000 wounded
- $2 trillion spent
- At least 150,000 dead Iraqis
- A veteran suicide epidemic
- Civil liberties undermined at home
Behind every statistic is someone’s son or daughter, spouse, or friend who carries the burden of failed policies. | 
