‘The War Room’ ... seriously?

Leave it to the Air Force to complain about participating in combat from home.

If complaining about 90 to 180 day rotations in the most upgraded camps downrange wasn’t bad enough, dedicating four pages of Stars and Stripes to the theme of how tough their combat duty is from home is too much.

I am amazed by some of the points:

• "…stand up from their Naugahyde chairs, emerge from their cramped trailers. ..." Seriously? Is this meant to convey some unimaginable hardship these "warriors" suffer? I’ll bet theirs at least has access to a toilet.
• "These guys are simultaneously at home and at war. It may be that human psychology isn’t designed for that. We don’t know yet." Seriously? Try asking any street cop in L.A., Chicago, New York.
• "18 inches away" from combat? Seriously? Twenty feet is the distance from which an assailant with a knife can approach and stab you before you can draw and shoot your sidearm.

I know the unmanned aerial systems mission is difficult. I proudly serve with an elite unit, downrange, that has been successfully utilizing these powerful assets for years. The Air Force shows up three years late and your paper features this "... first of its kind" concept ("Elite drone pilots graduating as aircrafts’ use is expanded," article, June 12), and now we are to empathize with guys fighting from home while our UAS operators live in limited camps with cramped, shared quarters vulnerable to attacks.

I do not believe that because it’s tough for one, it should be tough for all, but don’t expect others to be sympathetic toward those whose "combat tours" are counted in days, occur from plush chairs with a home-cooked meal and quality family time.

And don’t get me started on aviator wings for someone whose flight decisions put everyone’s life at risk but their own.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert L. Gray III
Camp Speicher, Iraq