Hey, RTA, not long ago I was one of the troops, so this is not an empty catchphrase for me.
My entire term of enlistment was during the Clinton administration, so I can tell you that the Democrats don’t have a great record on support for military members either.
Actually, on balance, theirs is worse. I would have loved to stay in the Navy, but was practically chased out by the fact that I was being worked to death. Our ship was undermanned by about 22% when I got out in 1998, with some watch stations manned by only two qualified standers. That equates to a nineteen or twenty-hour workday when underway, seven days a week. The human body can’t endure that very long.
Add to that the fact that our warstocks were being drawn down and not replenished properly, and you were risking lives by having service members fight battles with old and salvaged gear. The Marines are desperate right now for a replacement for the CH-53 helicopter because many of those choppers are patched up hulks from the Vietnam War, and are falling apart.
I’ll be making my decision on many issues, as responsible voters generally do. And I’ll be voting for Bush next time. Just thought I’d warn you.