I wasn't even talking about them at all in my last post! But since you bring it up, my father in law was a marine fighter pilot in WWII. He died suddenly last month and there is a FR thread dedicated to him. He was 86 when he died with a long list of WWII decorations including the Navy Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with two gold stars and a record of 17 air to air kills in the Pacific. His USMC Honor Guard was presided over by a Major and a platoon of marines. The USMC tried to get him an FA18 "fly over" but the tasking was too short notice. The point here is that this really OLD guy still managed to get himself into a fight with a neighbor about 10 years ago when he was 76. The irate neighbor who kept pushing and pushing and pushing, finally picked up a steel bar with which to strike pop, whereupon pop promptly threw just one punch and knocked the guy cold. They had to call EMT to revive him. Pop shook his head in total disbelief and kept muttering something about it being over fifty years since he'd last done that ... and where in the world did that come from? LOL
Remember, I'm not suggesting these guys be allowed to run patrols or go to a forward patrol base. You think the congress critters would go if there was even a HINT or real risk? Forget security, it's no different for them than anybody else. Remember during the 2008 campaign when Hillary said she'd had to duck and cover with incoming fire? That was a HUGE deal. The media pix showed her standing at a podium giving a speech next to the aircraft! That's all these guys want to do. The Hollywood guys go much further forward than these guys have asked to do. Gary Sinise of CSI New York has done so much for the war effort I can't believe it. So much to take care of the troops. He's literally risked his neck to go to forward operating bases. So have others. Then of course there is THIS EXAMPLE of a geriatric hero going into harms way. All these guys want to do is what Hillary did and come home. Stop marginalizing their efforts and valid desires.
“Stop marginalizing their efforts and valid desires.”
I’m not. I just have some understanding of why and it may have had nothing to do with Obama.