Jenn Sliozias, a freshman nursing major, said she remembers worrying about a possible draft when the Iraq War started because she had two brothers that were of the age to be drafted.

The Iraq War started five years ago on March 19 at 8:34 p.m. CST.

President Bush announced the start of the war to disarm the country of possible weapons of mass destruction and free the Iraqi people.

Kelly Hughes, a sophomore management major, said she remembered people starting to talk about war after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. She said she supported the war when it started.

Emily Immel, a sophomore elementary education major, said she thought the war was a “hasty decision.”

“I always thought we were there for the wrong reasons,” Immel said.

She said it seemed like the war was a response to Sept. 11 but didn’t understand why because the terrorists were said to be in Afghanistan.

Sliozias said she saw why we went to war in the beginning.

“I remember thinking we had to protect our country,” she said.

David Stork, a junior Social Sciences major, also said he thought the War was necessary in the beginning because of the possible weapons of mass destruction.

He said after not finding any weapons of mass destruction and receiving incorrect information, he doesn’t support the war.

“I think we were tricked into it,” Stork said.

Sliozias said she also had some doubts on the war.

She said she was confused on why we were rebuilding another country when we had problems of our own here.

After five years into the war, Sliozias has seen a family friend serve in Iraq and return safely home.

She said she still thinks we have issues in our own country, but thinks pulling out of Iraq wouldn’t change those issues.

Reyshawn Redmond, a sophomore business management major, said he never agreed with the war because he doesn’t agree with idea of killing people.

Brett Nommensen, a junior physical education major, said he thought it was a good idea at first, but as more innocent people began to die, he said he began to think it was pointless.

Danyelle Parker, a sophomore communications major, said it was a shock to be in a generation that would witness the war.

Parker said she thinks President Bush made a good decision with the war, and it is not his fault that it didn’t turn out as planned.

Many students also know people who have served, will serve or are serving in Iraq.

Parker said she knows people are enlisting in the military that may be sent to Iraq. Nommensen said his good friend’s brother served in Iraq. Stork said he knows people who have been to Iraq, people who are going to Iraq and people who have returned from serving in Iraq.

Although the start of a war is a historic event, none of these students could recall exactly where they were when the War started.

“I could tell you exactly where I was for September 11,” Stork said.

Sara Cuadrado can be reached at 581-7942 or at slcuadrado@eiu.edu.