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Letters to the Editor
Soldiers show strength and bravery regardless of age

On April 8, 2003, an opinion article entitled “Bring the kids home” struck a nerve, and I feel obligated to reply. Of all the falsities put forth by the author, I will respond only to the most blatant.

First, to refer to American servicemen as “babies” truly displays the author’s ignorance of the bravery, toughness and rugged beauty of the American soldier. The author has clearly never held an M-16 in her hands, marched 20 miles a day, or risked her life for the sake of others at home. These are not the actions of babies, but of heroes, the bravest and strongest America has to offer.

Next, the author reasons that these American soldiers should be returned home immediately because they have family at home praying for them. I must ask, then, how might this be different if the soldiers were older? Would America mourn a 25-year-old veteran less than an 18-year-old private?

Soldiers assume the risk of losing their life when they join the armed forces, and to say that the young Americans who are dying in Iraq now were not capable of entering that agreement freely is doing a disservice not only to the soldiers. I beg the author to don some BDU’s and live a single day in the life of the American soldier.

— Jace Taylor, senior biochemistry major