OPINION:
As a member of the Virginia Army National Guard in Richmond who is deployed to Iraq, I would like the citizens in my community to be aware of the situation here from the point of view of a soldier on the ground.
My wife and three small children were very excited to hear President Obama tell the nation that “our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.” What family wouldn’t want to hear a definitive promise like that from the commander in chief? This is my third lengthy deployment in Iraq as a guardsman.
Recently, however, my wife received the news from my chain of command that the president’s “definition of having all of our soldiers home by the holidays may not translate into reality.”
Here in Iraq, despite months of rumors from the 25th Infantry Division on down, my unit has yet to be told when it will leave Iraq and begin the demobilization process, which is expected to take weeks.
You can imagine the emotional roller coaster that our ever-patient families are being subjected to with this news. It’s not pleasant, to say the least.
This brings me to my question: Is President Obama misinformed about the true status of his troops in the field? Or is he intentionally using this opportunity to gain some desperately needed positive pre-election press at the expense of the emotions of the spouses and children of soldiers?
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 3
GEOFFREY MANN
Virginia Army National Guard
Tallil, Iraq
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