With the 2008 Presidential election quickly approaching, the question of who will be the next Commander in Chief and how he will handle the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq is still dubious. During my time in service, there were very few soldiers who would openly question the decisions of the Commander in Chief. Why? It seemed to me that my fellow comrades in arms believed in the chain of command and that it was not their place to question the orders of the Commander in Chief. Regardless of their opinion, I still expressed my view that the war in Iraq was a mistake and that Bush was little more than a puppet (which I still believe today). However, the time of President Bush will soon be over and now we should not focus on what could have been but rather what will be. As someone who has fought for freedom, it is not my place to tell you who to vote for - that action would be a contradiction of why I served in the 82nd Airborne and would disgrace the men and women who have fought for freedom through out the world and history. All I will say is that if you do “support the troops”, the least you can do is use that freedom which we have fought so hard for and sacrificed so much for and vote this election. McCain or Obama or - even better yet - write your own name in, just don’t take for granted the freedom we have in America by thinking your vote doesn’t mean anything. Tell that to the 19 year old kid who lost his leg or my squad leader who lost his eye or my battle buddy who got his elbow blown off, I’m sure they would really appreciate knowing that you didn’t think your freedom counted.
Below is an except from an article written on Oct. 22, 2008 about how veterans will vote . “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the defended will never know” - unknown solider from an unknown war (as far as I know).
http://www.pri.org/politics-society/Election-2008/the-veteran-vote.html
‘Polls show a majority of voters with military backgrounds support McCain, but some veterans groups question which candidate is really looking out for them.
Senator John McCain’s status as a war hero seems to give him an advantage over Senator Barack Obama when it comes to capturing the military vote. A Gallup poll conducted in August found that 56 percent of voters with military backgrounds support McCain. More recently, the “Military Times” newspaper survey some 4,000 readers and 68% back McCain.
Still, the military community is hardly unanimous in its support of Senator McCain. “The World’s” Katy Clark reports that’s especially true when it comes to veterans.
Before the faltering economy took center stage it was Iraq that ignited voters’ passions. McCain has argued that the United States must stay in Iraq until victory is assured. Obama, meanwhile, wants to bring the troops home as quickly as possible. He’s called the Iraq War a mistake. Some veterans have lashed out at Obama for that last bit.
Anti-Obama videos have appeared on YouTube featuring veterans, no surprises here. What is a surprising is the number of anti-McCain videos are also popping up on YouTube — many also featuring veterans.
This week the non-profit, non-partisian group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released a report card looking at how members of Congress voted this year on military and veterans issues. The group gave John McCain a “D” — the score was based on votes involving issues ranging from the GI Bill, which provides education benefits to veterans; to funding for mental health care.
Obama scored a “B” for his voting record on key veterans issues, as did his running mate Joe Biden.
Steve Robertson is a veteran, he is also Legislative Director for the American Legion: “If you asked me which candidate I though was the best pro-veterans candidate, I wouldn’t be able to give you a distinction.”
PRI’s “The World” is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. “The World” is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.’
This post was submitted by mmwebster4.