You snap back when you hear McCain ask the generals what they think about Paul’s withdrawal proposal. “Not even an option”, they all pledge. You have been around long enough that you’re accustomed to superiors speaking for the troops, even in direct contradiction of general sentiment. And you know generals don’t really talk to anyone who is less sycophantic to generals as generals are to senators. But then McCain turns to you, “What do you think, Corporal? Do you want to win…or go home?” You get a lump in your throat. Your exhausted mind wonders if you can end the war with one sentence. You weigh the value of spending a week on stateside-leave against the value of saying something true, but stupid.
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“We want to win, sir”
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The moment passes. Your first lesson in Boot Camp was “Keep Your Mouth Shut”, thank God. You will get a week with your family next year if you live.
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Perhaps you will get some sleep before going back to work or perhaps you will have to make the Senators’ beds with United States Army Seal-embroidered sheets. Either way, you and your buddies will find time to donate your entire paychecks to Ron Paul.
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Paul probably lost on that delivery overall, but he said what you needed to hear.
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-Greg Albert
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