Lee Ferrell is a Disabled Veteran and Retired Air Force Sargeant.   In a world full of terrorists, in a nation fighting two wars, with an administration planning massive defense cuts, we need Lee Ferrell's experience and knowledge.

Presently, military manning authorizations are the lowest levels since 1937. Our Military is stretched thin and over worked. During WWII the average time in Combat was four months. I know this sounds incorrect but support units and non-combat units were factored in. The average combat time in this conflict is four years. There were more casualties in the first year than four years of Viet Nam. (See www.gulfwarvet.com and www.veteransforjustice.com ) When President Bush signed HR 1588 into law, all enlistee are in for the duration plus one year. This is what authorized the present ‘Stop Loss Orders.’ Essentially, is also nothing more than a back door draft, especially when recruiters don’t tell you that when you enlist.

Our Military is the best in the world. They fight for you and freedom for other because they know if this war is not won, we will be fighting in our living rooms here. The definition of a veteran is; “A person that will go half way around the world, to fight a war for someone he does not know but won’t walk across the street to vote.” In all our conflicts all our military has asked for is a little piece of ground to bury their dead. Where ever they go they leave “Freedom.” Their professionalism, courage and successes are not being reported to you in the “press.”

Congress needs to quit micro managing the military and let the ‘Professional’ do their job. Most were not soldiers and do not have a clue as to how to win. The practice was used in Viet Nam. The soldiers won the War; congress lost it.  If Congress keeps using their current policies and placing “Police Intent” into the “Rules of Engagement” our military will become nothing more than armed civil servants.

The “2005 Defense Appropriations Bill” raised the enlistment/draft age from 35 to 38. An amendment hidden in the No Child Left Behind Act” raised it from 38 to 40. Recruiters can waiver four years bring the enlistment age to 44 years old. And still they can’t make their recruitment goals. (See a 2004 issue of “Air Force Times”)

30% of Active Duty are non- deployable because of bad teeth. 50% of the Guard is not deployable because of bad knees, bad hearts and they are too old.  “Stars and Stripes” states 47,000 non-deployable troops were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan without glasses, bad teeth and other medical problems that disqualified them from world wide deployment.