This is a diary from the combat zone the night after the election as we wathced President-Elect Obama give his victory speech.
November 5th 2008, 0800C (KUWAIT STANDARD TIME)
We went to the chow hall this morning to eat breakfast as Obama was giving his speech. I could barely swallow my oatmeal because of the enormous lump in my throat. Since 2003 I had been fighting to dethrone the Republican machine and where I had to step aside to serve my country in another way Obama convinced an "apathetic youth" pick up the banner and run in my place. Indiana, a state run by the KKK in the early 20th century, less than a hundred years later, might, in majority vote for a black man. It's not because of people like me who have always been involved, but because of the people like my brother in law inspired to action for a cause, whatever the reason may be.
As I finished my oatmeal with my wife sitting across from me in a chow hall in the desert, forcing back tears, and swallowing hard to clear the lump in my throat. Obama finished his speech. And the chow hall, full of digital camouflage uniforms, civilian contractors, Caucasians, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, Hawaiians, Arabs, and many more after hanging onto every word of that speech, erupted into applause. Because alot of us war wary soldiers have been given something by Obama that hasn't been around for awhile. HOPE for a future with and for our families, and CHANGE in policies that are destroying the country we love and destroying the military that protects it.
The Army is slowly breaking apart. People are leaving en masse and it will take tens of billions just to reset our equipment to make it functional for the next fight. On my second 15 month deployment I think of what it means to be a veteran, to fight for all of those jingoistic reasons, and I don't see that fight here. The only motivation to finish this war is to leave, and the only reason to stay in is the guy to your left and your right. A sense of duty and obligation to your fellow servicemembers, and not wanting to leave them stranded and I think that is what connects all of us veterans, no matter what war, or what cause we fought in. But I believe that with the election of Barack Obama people like me have fought the cause and defended freedom long enough for the experiment to come to fruition. While the results may not spill over to all sections of our society. I believe today, that those who stood guard, allowed us to come one step closer to becoming the "shining city on the hill." Today freedom's light burns just a little brighter and that is something I am proud to have defended and fought for.