Letters to the editor can be sent to: voxpop-ne@yahoo.com

Ed. Note: A couple of weeks ago I was wearing my Bush Sucks T-shirt when I happened into a convenience store in Cedar Bluffs. People commented on my shirt and one, a woman in her 30's started up a conversation. She was in the Nat'l Guard and was scared of being sent back to Iraq for the second time. She said everyone she knew over there couldn't figure out the purpose of being there and were upset to say the least. I posted the gist of her conversation on the Daily Kos to see if my experience was unique and received several replies, some of which are posted here:
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I've heard various opinions of the president & Kerry. I live in a mostly Republican state. Here are some:
National Guard (Active): "I would consider Kerry but I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I did." This is under the notion that Kerry doesn't support funding of our troops.
National Guard (back from Iraq): "I am not voting for Bush. I just don't see why we are in Iraq."
National Guard (former Active Duty with Homeland Security): "The president says he supports the troops yet we couldn't get something as simple as rain gear. I can't believe he sent our troops overseas without armor. This war in Iraq was not planned properly. No more years."
Army Active Duty (been to Iraq): "That man (Saddam) was a tyrant & he needed to go. I believe in Bush."
Veteran: "Why don't these people see the problem with this administration?"
by Vot3 on Mon Sep 13th, 2004 at 00:12:11 CDT
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As a fellow Nebraskan 
I have run into this sentiment often. I was in western Nebraska a few weeks ago and ran into a friend who expressed the same thing. He couldn't understand why we were in Iraq and said that most of the enlisted troops felt the same way.
My brother is currently in Okinawa and, as of today, still doesn't know what is going on. Initially, he was supposed to leave for Baghdad/Sunni Triangle. And now, in the space of four weeks, he has been: 1. going to Afghanistan; 2. staying in Okinawa; 3. going to Afghanistan; 4. going to Philipines for joint military training; 5. staying in Okinawa; 6. leaving for Kuwait; 7. cleaning up Okinawa after typhoons (it is typhoon season there) and finally 8. leaving for Kuwait Tuesday. As of tonight, Kuwait isn't definate. And as my brother said, the military can't decide where they are going and no one in the military can respect or understand this mission to Iraq.
Overall, I think the military, especially those on the ground, fall into one of two camps. Either they blindly follow their leaders because they have been told to do so or they recognize the stupidity and futility of Iraq.
by chickdebater on Mon Sep 13th, 2004 at 01:10:18 CDT
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Talking a couple of weeks ago to a marine.... (none / 0)

Talking a couple of weeks ago to a marine going back over to Iraq (from Oregon)....
His take was "You guys better all vote for Kerry, because we can't afford another four years of Bush, and I don't want that idiot getting me killed"

My blog: it_is_written by jeremybloom on Mon Sep 13th, 2004 at 01:40:14 CDT

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National Guardsmen/reservists a target group
Your experience doesn't surprise me at all. I hear those back from Iraq all the time on Randi Rhodes' show, and she has read some incredibly poignant accounts from a young serviceman over there right now. Personally, I think the overwhelming majority of those serving/having served in Iraq will be voting for Kerry, and that the proportion is likely to be even higher among their spouses.
I posted a comment about this several days ago. If you don't mind, I'll re-post here what I said then:
I think this [group -- i.e., Guardsmen and reservists] is -- at least it certainly should be -- a major target population for the Kerry campaign. These two groups have been treated as second-class citizens in ways that have endangered them and penalized their families. Two examples: 1) Bush threatened to veto the $87 billion Iraq appropriations bill (yes, the very same one that he keeps accusing Kerry of flip-flopping on) if it continued to include a provision (coming from Democrats) that would have extended the military's Tricare health insurance to Guardsmen and reservists and their families; and 2) Guardsmen and reservists in the early part of the war were given Vietnam-era body armor, while the new armor was reserved to regular military -- this information comes courtesy of a lieutenant who is one of the founders of Operation Truth (http://optruth.org), a group of Iraq War veterans trying to get the truth out about what's happening over there. They've gotten a sympathetic ear from various Air America Radio talk show hosts, especially Randi Rhodes, but were completely snubbed at the Republican National Convention last week. Respect and support for our soldiers in uniform, my ass!

I do not suffer fools gladly by GreekGirl on Mon Sep 13th, 2004 at 01:41:14 CDT
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Bush Not Interested In Welfare of Military 
I agree with the soldier who said "I can't believe he sent our troops overseas without armor."
To me, Bush's most unforgivable sin is that he sent our troops into war without armor - unreinforced humvees and no or poor flak jackets. I saw an estimate that this cost hundreds of lives. There also was a news story about a waitress who took up funds from her customers to send walkie-talkies to her son's unit so the soldiers could communicate while patrolling.
Bush complains that Kerry voted against the $87M to support the troops, but Bush does this to draw attention away from the fact that he got the $87M, but did not use it to support the troops. To me, it's the most despicable case of Bush's infamous projection - accusing Kerry of a wrong that Bush himself actually committed.
Importantly, Bush already is beating the drums for war with Iran and Syria.
Representatives of the Bush administration are setting up to invade Iran and Syria. Count the news statements about WMDs in Iran and Syria's support for terrorists. Tonight I heard a statement on the news that the US should no longer be concerned with Iraq, but should be forward-looking! Current military personnel and their families should realize that the US likely will be in war for a long time if Bush is elected. And young people in high school and college, as well as their parents, should consider this as they consider who should be elected president on Nov. 2.

by Jann on Mon Sep 13th, 2004 at 02:16:43 CDT