John Kerry and Iraq

November 5, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

A Google search for <“John Kerry” Iraq soldiers> this morning yielded 2,820,00 hits, so there can’t be much left to say. Still, I haven’t found mention of the link with his military generation and his faux pas. (Kerry and friends are calling it a “botched joke;” opponents are arguing it as a “Freudian slip.”) I would point out that his college years were in the Viet Nam era, when the draft was in place. His comment was a through-back to the message he heard then—stay in school or get drafted. He knows the current facts, I’m sure, but he hasn’t culturally or psychologically connected with the military of our times. Our volunteer military is sharp. I know because through Troy University I teach them in Master’s level courses every day, either in class or online. Some are in my classroom; some are aboard ships in the Mediterranean; some are on the ground in Pakistan, and yes, Iraq. These men and women know how to lead teams in class as well as in the field. Their work is on time and it is right. They literally drive the curve, sometimes to the point of causing a bimodal curve. This does not mean our other students are weak. They are in general, well, average adult students. The military ones are exceptional. I am proud to serve them as a teacher.

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