Bush Visits U.S. Troops
“Soldiers Face Extended Tours of Duty” (Part A, Nov. 23) is news that’s sure to boost the spirits of our GIs in the Persian Gulf and their families back home, especially as the holidays approach.
But now with our voluntary military having to face the reality of their involuntary servitude, the question is, now who’s holding hostages and playing them as wild cards in this deadly Mideast poker game?
Paradoxically, when young people in the armed forces are ordered by old men to go kill or be killed for the freedom of others, they leave their own freedom behind.
Many of them probably missed this hitch in the fine print of their contract at the recruiting office. Blinded by the lure of escaping from their various socioeconomic cages, they naively sold their souls to a rich uncle named Sam in a Faustian quid pro quo deal. Now their payment is due.
ED MITCHELL
Los Angeles
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