On Tom R.

Tom is a relatively new friend. I met him last summer when I joined the Sunday softball team. He's my age which makes him one of the older players on the team. He's in the Army National Guard so he misses a few games every season when he's doing his weekend or one week a year duty.

He's been talking about it for a few months but this weekend they confirmed that his unit will be deployed. They are scheduled to go to Kuwait in June 2007. Thankfully, he will not be in the war zone. And I hope it stays that way!

I knew a couple of guys in college that were sent to Iraq for the first war although they weren't really friends. They were guardsmen as well. Tom is the first guy I know that will be going this time around. Although I struggled through my decision on whether or not to support the war this time around I finally came to oppose it. At the time I decided it was a mistake. In hindsight, I think that is even more true now. Once we were in, however, I thought we should win.

But this administration has been incompetent, naive, and cavalier about this war. At times it really feels like the war is nothing more than a political tool for them. If there ever was a "win" to be had they have squandered any chance of getting it. And that's what makes it all the harder.

The orchestrators of this debacle are putting my friend in harms way. I'm very proud of Tom and all the other servicemen and women who take the pledge to defend us and our country. They should be an inspiration to all. I'm an atheist so I don't pray but Tom, even as a new and casual friend, will be in my thoughts often during his deployment.