When was the last time the US military fought a war in a legitimate act of self-defense?

What I mean is that people always say to you, %26quot;our boys are dying for you to sit on your *** and drink coffee!%26quot; But if you think about it, most modern US military actions(that I am aware of at least) have had very little to do directly with our freedom or security at all. Some perfect examples are Iraq, Vietnam, and Somalia.





Could you tell me conflicts in which the US military fought for preservation of the country against immediate threats?|||Operation Enduring Freedom|||WWII.....the Pearl Harbor attack from the Japanese.


Twin Towers attack in New York......led to the invasion of Afghanistan.|||Umm excuse me.. Wasn%26#039;t America targeted? 911 wasn%26#039;t a dream it was real and it happened. So this war on terrorism is just.|||I%26#039;d say the Cold War which ended with the fall of the Soviet Union.|||World War 2|||1812|||afghanistan, they were the ones who caused 911|||I%26#039;d say Afghanistan.


They invaded in retaliation over 9/11.


Before that WWII|||Sometimes it%26#039;s a case of defending your national interests.





Our nation runs on oil. Whatever your opinions on energy independence, or the environment etc.. this is a hard fact. What would happen to the US, or the rest of the world, if a tyrannical dictator, known for gassing entire towns of minorities in his own country, was allowed to control the flow of middle eastern oil?





Maybe a more accurate statement would be that the Soldier defends a protester%26#039;s ability to own the gas guzzler he drives to the anti war rally.





(Not necessarily directed at you personally)|||Not really an answer to your question, but certainly something to think about.





Common thinking is that the Confederates fired the first shots of the American Civil War, and that they started it when they fired on Fort Sumter. It is regarded as the first act of aggression.


But ponder this, Fort Sumter, occupied by the north were stockpiling military hardware and installing long range cannons capable of firing upon Confederate positions. Should the Confederates have sat back and waited till they started getting killed if the North began firing, or was the build up the actual first act of aggression?





What I am saying is that you can make an act of self defense before you get hit. An example is a person with a knife in their hand refusing to drop it at the command of a Police Officer. When that person gets tasered or shot by the Police, the Police Officer is doing so in self defense. You don%26#039;t have to wait until you receive a mortal wound to defend yourself. If the threat is there and it is real and apparent, it is self defense to shoot first.