Veterans Day Tribute Clashes With the Legacy of a ‘Pointless’ World War I

As Americans honor veterans this November 11, a contentious argument resurfaces: did the nation’s entry into World War I set a disastrous precedent? An American Thinker op-ed by Jeffrey Folks contends that Woodrow Wilson’s 1917 declaration of war was avoidable—and that its consequences reverberate today in debt, diminished power, and lost potential.

The Cost of an ‘Unnecessary’ War

Folks highlights the stark numbers: 116,500 American deaths (including disease), $334 billion in modern-dollar spending (14% of GDP at its peak), and a “permanent expansion” of federal power under emergency wartime measures. Unlike the Revolutionary War or WWII—widely viewed as defensive or morally imperative—he frames WWI as a strategic misstep driven by political pressures, not national interest.

A Counterfactual America

The essay speculates on an alternate 20th century: Had the U.S. stayed neutral, Folks argues, its economic dominance might have deterred Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. A stronger peacetime economy could have absorbed refugees (including future luminaries like Einstein) and averted the Great Depression’s severity, exacerbated by war debt. The lost contributions of those 116,500 men—potential scientists, teachers, or innovators—represent an incalculable ‘what if.’

Provocations or Mismanagement?

Folks acknowledges German aggressions—sinking the Lusitania, the Black Tom explosion, unrestricted submarine warfare—but insists alternatives existed: embargoes, border surveillance, or diplomatic pressure. Instead, he writes, Wilson’s “weakness” surrendered to interventionist fervor, setting a template for later “prolonged wars on behalf of our ‘friends.’”

Veterans Day’s Irony

The piece closes by distinguishing between honoring service and critiquing policy. Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, marking WWI’s end—a war Folks calls uniquely unjustified. Yet he urges gratitude for those who served: “They deserve our deepest appreciation… But not all wars are equal in merit.” The takeaway? Celebration needn’t mean uncritical acceptance of history’s costly mistakes.

Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/11/veterans-day-began-with-an-unnecessary-war/