Since the U.S. joined with Israel on Feb. 28th launching deadly strikes against Iran that have ignited war across the Middle East, some Armed Forces veterans are expressing a range of shock and disagreement with the administration.

The way the Pentagon prepared for and subsequently handled the bombing of a girl’s school on the opening day of the strikes, which killed more than 175 people, most of them children, in particular has unsettled some service members.

“I think it complicates the issue incredibly,” said Oliver, a Marine Corps veteran who chose not to use his last name in discussing what he described as government negligence. “Before strikes, there [are] usually three to five weeks of satellite intelligence and ground surveillance that’s done to establish a pattern of life for all occupants inside of target buildings. Often there’s much more,” he said.

However, “given that a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck an elementary school in a direct hit, it shows that wasn’t done.”

To other veterans, the war is indicative of a bigger Constitutional violation: the president never sought Congress’s — or the American public’s — support for the war.

“I think that without congressional approval, it is a violation and misuse of power,” said a former Marine who asked to remain anonymous.

On March 14th, news broke that six service members in Kuwait and Iran died when their refueling aircraft went down, bringing the total of killed troops to 13, with 200 wounded during the attacks.

Trump now appears to be further escalating the crisis by sending thousands more members of the Armed Forces to the region, even as he claims to be in productive negotiations with the regime in Tehran. A naval ship of 2,500 Marines recently reached the Middle East, joining about 50,000 American troops already in the region.

With the war now ending its second month, many people are wondering how much longer it will last — and how badly things may escalate.

For Marine veteran Ethan Duffy, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

“It will probably escalate,” Duffy said. “There are troops there. But after a short time, I think it will slow down because the U.S. is very strong and will use its force to hopefully stop the conflict.”

The buildup is leaving many prior service members wondering if there will be a recall from all military branches. “I am unable to go back due to injuries sustained during service. However, if they would let me rejoin, I would,” said Oliver.

His sentiment was echoed by Duffy.

“Absolutely I would go,” Duffy said. “If my brothers went to war and I was sitting at home, I’d feel guilty. God forbid if they got hurt, I could never forgive myself"