It's different when you see their faces

While waiting for my flight in Houston after it was delayed I was watching a CNN News story at the gate about Bush’s new budget, including a 7% increase in defence spending and additional money for Iraq and Afghanistan. This was followed up by details of how there is still a long way to go in Iraq. A young man sitting next to me said, “I’ll be there in two months.” He was a US Army soldier returning home to California from holiday. He can’t have been older than 22. In just a couple of weeks he had to report back to his unit and within a couple of months he would be shipped off to Iraq.

He’d been on a long holiday with some friends, doing as much as he could before he left for the Middle East, knowing full well that there is a possibility that he won’t return. What’s a lot of money for a last holiday, and $500 for repairing a car you crashed during it when it’s no good to you if you die? You can’t take it with you. I guess not.

He’d drawn the short straw, with some of his comrades instead being stationed in Hawaii - sun, surf and girls being infinitely more palatable than miles of sand and the possibility of being shot at.

Why do it? Others in his family had joined the Navy and Air Force, so he figured he would join the Army to cover all the bases. He loves it, he says, but like so many other recruits, this isn’t what he signed up for. Towards the end of our conversation he paused to call his brother to let him know the flight was delayed. “I don’t want to go,” he said. “Can I stay with you? I’ll go AWOL.”

We talked about his desire to travel Europe some day. Hopefully he’ll get that opportunity.