'It's only been a couple of years...where I've experienced this inner peace.'
Flowers are left at a memorial at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California that honors soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.It was a pivotal day in world history as the United States, and several allies, invaded Iraq under the suspicion that then-President Saddam Hussein was amassing weapons of mass destruction.
Retired Marine Corporal Michael Elliot, seen on the right in an interview with ABC News in 2002, speaks with"Nightline" about the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq."The war took a big toll on my life," Elliot, 41, told "Nightline." "The military and war threw me into the deep end.""Nightline" embedded with the Marines before the invasion, filming as they waited for official orders.
Smith's daughter, Shelby Robinson, who was 8 when her father was killed, told "Nightline" that Smith was always proud of his military experience. She's now a police officer and said her father inspired her. Johnson, now 52, who is set to retire this year, said he believed the U.S. involvement in Iraq was worth the price that was paid.
Hisle said he feels that America didn't learn anything from the war because civilians' lives weren't affected.
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