Why This Soldier is Voting for Kerry [Pass this story posted at dailyKos]

[AnIndependentTexan]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/1/204645/838
Why This Soldier is Voting for Kerry
by LiberalRakkasan


Mon Nov 1st, 2004 at 17:46:45 PDT

I made my decision a long time ago that I wasn't a Bush supporter...in 1992. I voted Clinton, I voted Gore, and I'm going to vote Kerry. I've always been the token liberal in all the military units that I've served in. But, something happened to me today that hammered home why its important to defeat Bush.

Diaries :: LiberalRakkasan's diary ::
I am an officer in the Army Reserves. I served in Iraq, and I love my country, the Army, and my soldiers. On paper, I'm responsible for about a hundred people, but in reality, I have much fewer. My unit has been cut to pieces by call-ups and the dismall retention rate that the Reserves are suffering right now.

I got the word today that I had to provide soldiers for a mid-November mobilization and subsequent deployment to Iraq. As usual, I started working the phones looking for volunteers because usually there are a few gung-ho types (like me a couple years ago) who want to go. But, today the well ran dry. No volunteers. So now I have to pick.

I have several soldiers who meet the requirement, but I only have to give up half of them. So I have to pick who goes and who stays. I might be sending someone to their death, and it tears me up inside.

We haven't always been able to fill our requirements with volunteers, but we've been lucky enought to group most of our mobilized soldiers together in units so they could have some cohesion and some idea of who they would be depending on. But because of the way this war is being managed, this new group of soldiers will be placed in a new unit and end up going to war with a bunch of strangers. I won't be there to lead and protect them. I'm just throwing them into the meat-grinder and hoping everything turns out okay. I feel hollow inside for having to do this.

Once I realized that I would have to choose, that it was my desicion to make alone. There was going to be no way for me to see my soldiers through this terrible ordeal. Once I realized that I was going to have to do this to them, I had enough. So, I wept.

This is something that I normally don't do. My wife say that it was best to leave me alone, and I cried alone. I cried because I'm sick of this war, this president, and the wrong direction this country is moving in. I'm sick of neo-cons and chickenhawks and Toby Keith. I'm sick of the religious right, and I'm sick of pick-up driving rednecks who never served a day in their life telling me who's ass we ought to go kick next. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

So after I had finished, my wife came in and asked me what I was going to do next. I told that I was going to do the best I could to make a good decision and try to do right by my soldiers.

And , bright and early tommorow morning I'm going to try and do right by them again. I'm going to hang my American Flag from my front porch, and drive across town to try to make another good decision...in the voting booth where I cast my vote for John Kerry.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Wow!

------------------------------------------------
Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/

[kwolf68]

2. God Bless this Guy

I did love this line

I cried because I'm sick of this war, this president, and the wrong direction this country is moving in. I'm sick of neo-cons and chickenhawks and Toby Keith. I'm sick of the religious right, and I'm sick of pick-up driving rednecks who never served a day in their life telling me who's ass we ought to go kick next. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.


He sounds like good people. :)

[Trahurn]

3. I knew it

I knew that military or not any real, thinking person would feel this way and I have heard other examples form very bright and very disillusioned military personnel. I read a brilliant essay by an active duty man titled "Why we cannot win this war of insurgents." It was very well thought out and very correct as we can never win a war of insurgents. History has born that out. Kennedy himself said you cannot win a war with an enemy that is both everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
I really empathize and sympathize with this man and if I could and he felt is was appropriate I would give him the human to human embrace he so richly deserves.
Hang in there my friend. Many others are squarely behind you.