In the paper dated May 30, William Ludlow writes that “the media never shows what the men and women in the military have to say .” The following is an excerpt from an email our son sent from Iraq.

“You know that I’m here until November now and the politicians back home come up with a WONDERFUL idea. After 12 consecutive months in theater that isn’t good enough for us soldiers so now instead of $1,000 for each extra month we instead get a whopping whole day off for each extra month. So for me staying three months longer in their ultimate compassion I’ll earn a three-day weekend. This while Congressmen who do nothing make on average 165 grand a year.

“To top this all off, since the deployment times have been extended to 15 months technically I’m not extended right now and can very easily get a three month extension come November which would mean I get to stay here til about March next year. Gotta love decisions made by people who don’t know the first thing about being in the military deployed to a country that wants them dead and unable to see friends and family, but hey they know better than us right?

“I’m looking at reenlisting anyway (hee hee) just to get to Ft. Lewis, when the recruiter comes by again I’ll be asking him what he has available for a guaranteed station to Ft. Lewis. The time cannot possible go by fast enough here.. . . it’s just so infuriating being here making maybe 27 grand a year risking my life living in a s–hole while some a–hole in Congress makes 165 grand or more a year, doesn’t risk anything and gets to go home to his/her family every night. And then they have the gall to tell me I’m overpaid and, according to the Democrats, I’m stupid and didn’t pay attention in school otherwise I wouldn’t be in the military. Well I’m done ranting for now still have some other things to do tonight yea, talk to you later . . .

Roy.”

My son supports the war but since WWII we have forgotten how to fight a war. All we do now is political police actions, where rules of engagement are excessively restrictive on troops. Imagine in WW II France/German troops using a church as a sniper post to attack us and us not returning fire because it was a church even if we knew they had mortars and other heavy firepower. That is the way it is in Iraq, every day. It is a mosque instead of a church.

Joseph Moreland

lives in Oak Harbor