"Would you send me to war?"

(TROOP VISIT – First lady Laura Bush joins U.S. troops as they dine in the Dragon Chow Dining Hall on Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 30, 2005. White House photo by Susan Sterner)

The wife noticed that the First Lady, Mrs. Bush, went to Afghanistan to visit the troops. So, she asked me, "if you were the President, would you send me to war?"

Of course, I looked at her like she was crazy. I didn't realize she was projecting herself into Mrs. Bush's current trip.

"Send you to war? Why would a President do that?"

"No, stupid, to visit troops in a war zone."

"Oh, I see. Sure, git yer ass over there and shake hands. Don't you think the First Lady has a pretty hefty security detail? It's not like she's over there with a gun on the front line. Sheesh."

I got a shrug and she walked away.

I don't know, was that not the right answer?

UPDATE (0047 01APR05): She makes a difference:

Photo Caption: First Lady Laura Bush steps off of the plane at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, and is greeted by Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, commanding general, Combined Joint Task Force-76. Mrs. Bush made her first-ever visit Wednesday to see the plight of Afghan women and visited students training to be teachers at Kabul University.

Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, commanding general, Combined Joint Task Force-76, greeted Mrs. Bush as she arrived at Bagram.

“We are honored and grateful that Mrs. Bush planned this trip. Her presence is a strong demonstration of America’s commitment to Afghanistan and also shows the support America has for every Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine serving in the military.”

[emphasis added.]

We all know Mrs. Bush was a teacher, so:

She then traveled from Bagram to Kabul on coalition helicopters and visited a Women’s Teacher Training Institute at Kabul University. There, women from across Afghanistan are equipped to be educators. They then return to their villages and are able to teach girls who might not otherwise receive any formal education.

She later told the troops in Bagram:

“Thanks to you, the Taliban is gone. Thanks to you more than eight million men and women in Afghanistan voted in the free elections. Thanks to you millions of little girls are going to school in this country—little girls who were denied the education just three years ago… These are big goals, and you’ve met every one of them with courage and honor."

[article by 2nd Lt. Christy Kercheval]

Note:
MAJGEN Kamiya (second photo, left) was recently the commander of Ft. Polk. I had (a sad) occasion to met him late in 2003. A Soldier that one of my recruiters helped to enlist died in a vehicle accident in Iraq. GEN Kamiya came all the way from Ft. Polk to attend the funeral even though this Soldier was not from Ft. Polk.

Another Soldier with which I am proud to serve.