3 billion in reconstruction spending the government has promised Afghanistan, state and local contributions to veteran care, or the
costs of Medicare for veterans when they reach 65. The Congressional Budget Office, meanwhile, has assessed the federal price tag for the wars at $1.8 trilling through 2021.
More than 6,000 U.S. troops and 2,300 contractors have died since the wars began after Sept. 11. A staggering 550,000 disability claims have been filed with the VA as of 2010.