I think those are good points. I'd add that counter-insurgency wars have their own terrible, long-lasting aspects for the participants too (civilians included), don't you think? Different challenges, different types of scarring. As they say, "the worst war is the one you're in".
Oh definitely. Ties back to the ‘at least in Europe you could sleep’ quote. When there is no front line everywhere is the front line. As an Infantryman I’m required to look down on all POGs (Personnel Other than Grunts) but I believe 88Ms (truck drivers) had the worst casualty rate in Iraq.