I spoke to my son last night. He’s 21, going to be 22 in a few days. He’s living in Missoula, Montana with his high school girl friend. They moved there after he got back from Egypt in January. He was there for seven months with the Army National Guard. He was going to go back to college last fall but had to go to Egypt instead. Now he’s working in a restaurant, waiting a year to start school to establish residency so that the tuition will be a little more affordable. They hope to start next summer.
But he hears rumors that he may be shipped out to Iraq. The future is uncertain for him. He joined the Guard several years ago as soon as he turned 18. They promoted the Guard as one weekend a month and a couple of weeks in the summer. It really changed in just the past few years. Now, rather than being weekend warriors, it can quickly become a full-time job. I thought it was supposed to be the “National Guard” not the “international guard.” They also promote it as a way to earn money for college. Yet he still can’t afford the tuition.
Do I support the troops? You bet I do. Keep them home where they belong not fulfilling Bush’s crazy dreams of empire and American dominance. Pay them enough to go to college. Stop the escalating costs of education. Reinvest in the U.S.–rebuilding our economy, reinstating our freedoms, learning to live in peace, having an American dream again that’s not a nightmare. My son and I agree we need to get anyone else but Bush in the White House, and we both think Wes Clark is a good choice. I hope you agree.
Peace,
Steve
