A Boston University war veteran and award-winning author has seen war first-hand – and he speaks from experience when he says war just isn’t worth it.

Howard Zinn, professor of political science at Boston University, told a crowd of ISU students, faculty, administrators and staff Thursday night that violence is the easy way out of a conflict.

“Wars don’t solve problems,” Zinn said. “You can always tell, because five years later there is another war, then another war, and everyone claims to have solved the problem.”

Zinn said he recalls watching the terrifying images of people jumping to their deaths and running for their lives.

“After seeing those images, first it was the initial shock,” Zinn said. “But my first thought was that must have been how it was when I was dropping bombs when I was in the military.”

When he was in the military, Zinn said, he dropped bombs from about 30,000 ft., but today they are dropping them from 40,000.

“The higher you are, the less accurate you are,” Zinn said. And when you are inaccurate, you kill innocent people, he said.

He said he doesn’t like to use the word “accident” when referring to the deaths of the civilians in Afghanistan – because the word accident implies innocence.

“It’s like driving 80 mph down a street full of kids,” Zinn said. “You don’t intend to hit one of them, but it’s inevitable that it’s gonna happen.”

Beyond the innocent people dying because of the war, there are many more that are fleeing their homes in fear, he said.

“These people are piling all of their belongings into their cars and fleeing to the hills that are full of land mines,” he said.

Zinn said violence is the easy answer, but it’s OK to negotiate or even reconsider policy.

But he said America just has to be the “superpower.”

“Why do we have to be the superpower?” he said.

“OK, we’re the No. 1, but now is the time for America to be modest.”

Varanda Dubois, junior in performing arts, said Zinn’s reaction to the war was very different.

“He has a different opinion than from anybody I ever heard speak about it,” she said.

But that different opinion is why Eric Sheriff, sophomore in pre-business, enjoyed it so much.

“I agreed with almost everything he said,” Sheriff said.

Lauren Mayer, freshman in liberal arts and sciences, said Zinn’s comments made her rethink America’s actions.

“He made me question some of the things that are going on,” she said.