Go to Original
Surprising Political Endorsements by US Troops
By Martha Raddatz
ABC News
Monday 07 April 2008
American soldiers speak out about their presidential
endorsements.
ABC's Martha Raddatz asked American soldiers in Iraq what issues are most important
to them when looking at the presidential candidates.
Though the military is not supposed to engage in partisan political activity,
these soldiers spoke out about their personal endorsements, and their opinions
are likely to matter. In 2004, 73 percent of the U.S. military voted for a presidential
candidate, and officials believe it may be even higher this time around.
PFC Jeremy Slate said he supported Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., because of his
stated intention to pull out of Iraq right away.
"That would be nice," Slate said, "I'd like to be home, yea."
SFC Patricia Keller also expressed support for Obama, citing his representation
for change.
Spc. Patrick Nicholls from Eggawam, Mass., pointed out that many soldiers on
the frontlines frequently think about their families back home.
"We think about how our families are doing back home. That's a major concern,
like how the economy is doing, also as well as where we're going to be in the
future. Because really, truly, what we consider we're doing, we're doing a valuable
job, we want to make sure that the efforts we make are appreciated."
He suggested he was too engaged in Iraq to keep up with politics back home.
"I haven't really been following it too much since we've been over here,
ma'am," he told Raddatz. "So, don't really know which issues are too
important to me right now.... I don't know who's running, ma'am."
Lt. Leah Wicks said that, tied into concerns about her family's welfare, were
concerns about the economy, "where we're going to be in the future."
Only moments before speaking with ABC News, the troops had been listening to
Vice President Dick Cheney give a rousing speech, but it didn't change their
political preference.
Spc. Imus Loto said he supported Obama. "It will be something different.
But he's out there and he'll probably support us a lot more."
By support, Loto meant pulling out troops. "Pull me out, too." he
said.
Though the military is generally a more conservative group, soldiers like Sgt.
Justin Sarbaum are just as eager for a pull-out as the Democratic candidates.
Sarbaum said he wondered which presidential candidate would be able to better
the U.S. relationship with rogue nations, such as Iran, so that soldiers are
not sent off to another war.
"Iran is obviously a big issue," Sarbaum said, "Here in Iraq
for my third time; starting another war right now - is it really necessary?"
Sgt. Cory Messingham from Lewisville, Texas, said he wasn't following the race,
but he was concerned about candidates' paying attention to the emotional toll
that the war has taken on soldiers.
"My biggest issue is support for the military, military funding and our
deployments, not having long deployments anymore. Because [the] majority of
us are doing ...15-month deployments. So, it's tough on the soldiers and tough
on the soldiers' families. Those are really my biggest issues."
1st Sgt. David Logan said, "I am leaning toward Hillary. I think that
we should have a gradual drawdown."
Though the soldiers have been living in Iraq, they listen closely to the candidates
on issues far beyond the wars they are fighting.
"Education back in the states is one of my main concerns," Spc. Matthew
Durkin said.
Economy and environment were on Staff Sgt. Derek Dion's mind. "Things
like gas prices, and look at the environment and what we're going to leave our
children."
Spc. Joseph Lindsesdt, who is from Alaska, said he was watching for consistency
of the candidates' views. "The steadiness of the candidate, whether they've
changed their views, constantly, over time, or with political wind, as I like
to put it."
To that end, Lindsesdt's pick is Obama. "The fact that he's followed his
views, regardless of what they have been [sic] and whether I've agreed with
them or not, sometimes. But he's been steady the entire way."
When asked if he was concerned about criticism that Obama had less political
experience than some of the other candidates, the battle-weary soldier replied,
"No, I think being a decent leader doesn't have to do anything with experience
much."
--------
Jung Hwa Song contributed to this report.
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story