U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen take questions from the news media during a press conference at the Pentagon September 3, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia. Gates addressed the eroding public support for the war in Afghanistan. He stated, 'The nation has been at war for eight years. The fact that Americans would be tired of having their sons and daughters at risk and in battle is not surprising.' Getty (Courtesy Cryptome)