Not specifically that, more the fact of that we came up with it because of the longest running police action that the military has been involved.
Though, I am not too surprised that the majority of the population believed it to be a recent term, due to the increased situation we are seeing it being placed, and this is no disrespect to individuals, but from my experience, it seems that if its not happening to American's directly, the US news services over look it, I also reference the African Oil Disaster that has happened in a very similar way to the current US one, and about the same time, yet I only know of that because the African one was in The Guardian newspaper, and not even seen it on my national news in the UK, or heard many American's talk about it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...er-delta-shell