From someone who actually lives in Britain/Europe.
"Defending Europe". Against what, exactly? What are you defending us against? There is not a war on our doorstep.
As for Iraq, ironically, you asked us to come along. It was not the US asking you to come join.
As for the "less money spent on defense" issue - of course there is less money spent. The UK is significantly smaller than the US. There is less people. Less people therefore means less tax money goes into the governments coffer to pay for this defense, and there are less people in said country who are recruited as solders. You want something comparable? Yes, you spend more of your GDP on defense than we do. But the UK has met (and is paying more than) the NATO requirement of 2% (We pay 2.21
.
As for better education and healthcare...both of them are lacking at the moment. Our healthcare service is in crisis. You need an op? Get put on a 12 month waiting list, good luck getting one sooner. Call 999 for an ambulance? You may find yourself listening to hold music. If you're lucky, an ambulance will be free when you finally do get through. Gotta see a consultant? Waiting list. Ever need to go to A&E? You've probably got a 6 hour wait ahead of you. Get taken into the hospital in an ambulance? Well, this winter was problematic for that. There wasn't enough beds for the people that got taken in. People were lying in the corridors, on the chairs in the waiting rooms, and on the floors. We've got hospitals shutting left right and centre as a "cost shutting initiative" meaning that the nearest one for some people is a three hour journey. We've got nurses leaving there jobs because the pay no longer is enough to feed themselves for a month on, and moving to stacking shelves in Tesco. Trainee Doctors are moving abroad because they're not happy with the conditions they've got to deal with when they go to work. I could go on and on.
Education? Constant rising fees, universities offering staff voluntary redundancies and asking if they'll take a paycut. Class sizes in schools are on the rise decreasing the quality of education, some schools have been found to be being radicalized by the parents on the governing board, and schools can't pay for the essentials at times, and have turned to asking parents/ex students to make a monthly contribution by direct debit (I actually get calls from my old secondary school asking if I'd like to donate.)
I must be living in some alternative Britain if "Education and Health" has been improved by the American military that is apparently here. If anything, education and health has gotten worse over the last two decades or so.