Stop hiding behind the military to bash Bush

In response to Patrick Molnar’s June 3 article, “Support Our Troops”: Stop hiding behind the military to bash our president. I am in the Marine Corps Reserve, I’ve spent nine years at Cal Poly, I’ve deployed overseas four times and was in Iraq in 2003. For my service, I receive $440 a month for my GI bill – one-quarter of the active duty amount – but that’s the way things go. The reason President Bush and Sen. McCain oppose the bill isn’t for disregard of the military but because it gives no incentive for veterans to continue their service.

Second, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s remarks are right: you go to war with the Army you have and not the Army you want.

He possibly could have chosen better words to describe the situation but the reality is the military industrial complex doesn’t react as fast as operators in the field. In World War II, airborne units were sent into the Battle of the Bulge without winter clothing because they couldn’t wait for supplies to catch up. It takes more than a phone call to design, test, manufacture, inspect, ship and then distribute 300,000 flak jackets half way around the world.

Oh yeah and Semper Fidel is is the Marine Corps’ motto, not the military’s, but I wouldn’t expect someone who’s never worn a uniform to understand.

Ask 10 veterans and nine of them will not be voting for change in November.

Paul Acosta
Construction management senior
USMCR 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion