President Joe Biden announced that on Sept. 11 all U.S. forces will be withdrawn from Afghanistan, marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Biden said in his speech that “it’s time to end America’s longest war,” and that “it’s time for American troops to come home.”

Many students may not realize it, but the United States has been at war for 20 years ever since the attacks on 9/11. Students born in the 2000s and later have technically been born in a war while not noticing it. It may not have had as large an impact on their personal lives as the wars they learn about in history class, but it has still had a huge impact on the country.