While there are many reasons I’m supporting him, this is the main one: his constant opposition to the Iraq war.
I still remember clearly where I was and what I was doing when we started this mess. I was in Flight Operations school just outside of Tucson, Arizona. My classmates and I had just gotten back to the barracks from my birthday dinner and were sitting around the television watching the news coverage of the ramp up to war. The mood was rather somber. I’m not sure exactly what everyone else was thinking, but I know what was in my head wasn’t exactly a popular opinion at the time. “WTF are we doing?” just about covers it.
As time wore on, I listened to several of my friends’ and colleagues’ opinions on what was going on, all while attempting to keep my own opinions to myself. Looking back, I regret not saying anything at the time, but I know that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
July 2003 came around and my contract was up for renewal. At this point I had served for five years, plus a year of delayed entry in high school. I had been mulling over my decision to reenlist ever since the war started. My thoughts often wandered between a lack of wanting to abandon my friends, who were, and still are, like family to me, and desperately not wanting to put my life on the line for something that was not in the best interest of the country I proudly served. When the time came, I put my friends above myself, and signed on for three more years.
Despite my anti-war agenda, I do not regret making that decision. I consider those years to be the best part of my life so far. The friendships I made, the people I met, and the opportunities and challenges presented to me will forever be with me as fond memories.
When my reenlistment window opened again, my grandfather’s health was declining. At this point, I had served a total of nine years, and was just about halfway to retirement. I now had to make the decision to either continue my service, or leave and spend what little time I could with my grandfather before he passed. After careful thought, I chose the latter.
Looking back now, it was the right decision to make. My grandfather passed away just a little over a year after I moved here, and even though the last few months of his life were difficult for my whole family, I am glad that I could spend time with him that I wouldn’t have been able to had I stayed in the military.
Fast forward to the beginning of this year, when the presidential race was just starting to ramp up. I hadn’t paid much attention to any of the candidates up until this point, but I knew for a fact that I could not vote for anyone that wanted to keep the Iraq war going. After a few days of researching everyone’s positions and policies, I stumbled upon a video of Barack Obama speaking out against the Iraq war at a rally in Chicago in October of 2002. He has had my support since.
Sure, I don’t agree with all of his policies, and if we were going to go with support of policies alone, well, then I’d also be supporting Sen. Clinton. However, after watching the primary race play out, and seeing how all the candidates have presented themselves, my support has grown even stronger for Sen. Obama. He’s not perfect, and nobody is, but I do believe that he is exactly what this country needs - an inspiring leader that encourages so many different people to get together and participate in making this country a better place to live for all of us.
