Office mate going to Afganistan

[democrat in Tallahassee]

One of the guys in my office in the Guard and has been told he is going to be sent to Afganistan. He is about my age 50.

He has a sick child and will apply for a hardship to stay stateside.

He confirms that the Guard is being hammered by retirements... all the guys who know how to operate the advanced equipment are leaving.

there is also a rumor that Jeb Bush pulled reservist out of the field during the hurricanes because Florida does not have enough money to keep the on duty.

[JPZenger]

1. At Least He is Going to the "Good War"

At least he is being sent to the Good War, with proper justification, as opposed to the useless war in Iraq.

NPR had a great story about a former Marine on the morning of 9-11. He watched the crashes from his office in Connecticut. He went home, put on his Marine uniform, and got a military haircut. The haircut was important to get through the barricades. He went right to Ground Zero to look for survivors. He met up with another former Marine and they started yelling "United States Marine Corps - can you hear us". They were searching in an area where professional rescuers had left because it was too dangerous because of flaming wreckage. They found two trapped police officers - the last two people to be pulled from the WTC site alive.

That Marine was motivated to rejoin the Marine Corps so he could fight the good fight in Afghanistan. Much to his disappointment, he was sent to Iraq.

[cheshire]

2. This is how * thinks he is avoiding the draft. I hate them all.

[ismnotwasm]

3. My daughter is there, regular army

And she's a single parent. Couldn't get out on hardship--would have lost her military benefits. She is deployed for a year, but they could keep her for 18 months. I have my 5 year old grandson. It's a hellish deployment, not in the news as much of course. Needless to say, she's leaving the military when she gets home. She will have been in 8 years by then.