For Staff Sgt. Derek Detherow, based in Baghdad’s Sadr City district, the Iraq war is by far the biggest issue in the upcoming U.S. elections.

After all, the decisions that the future president will make on the war will directly affect him.

"The biggest thing in my life is here in Iraq," Detherow, who is with 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, said recently. "I can’t see too much beyond that."

While the flagging economy and volatile stock markets top the concerns of most stateside voters, troops fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also see the vote as a direct referendum on their immediate futures.

Staff Sgt. Angel Rivera, also with 1st Battalion, 35th Armor, is concerned about the war mostly because of how it affects future deployments. After three combat tours, he’s ready to find out when he can go home for good.

Spc. Tiffany Knotts, a 556th Signal Company soldier in Taji, Iraq, wants a president who can help Iraqis take control of their country. She joined the Army in 2004 and thinks the U.S. had good reasons for coming here, but she’s ready to see the Iraqis step up.

"We’re doing great things," Knotts said. "But as long as we hold their hand, we’re going to have to be over here."

To be sure, many soldiers worry about the country’s financial situation just as much as the war.

First Sgt. John Reinburg, also of 556th Signal, is concerned about the mounting national debt in particular. That’s especially true after the recent financial bailout, which could cost the government $700 billion, although it was promoted as something that also could make a profit.

"It’s going to be left to our future, which is our children," Reinburg said. "The richest nation is going broke."

Sgt. Jacob Crowder — a 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment soldier stationed at a joint security station south of Taji — agreed that the economy is the most important issue of the election. Crowder had considered getting out of the Army, but decided to stay in because of the economic hardships in the civilian world. He doesn’t like the growing amount of job outsourcing, and he worries that raising taxes on the rich will exacerbate the problem.

"[The economy] definitely persuaded me to stay in," he said. "It damn near forced me to re-enlist."

Cpl. Matthew Dortch, also of the 1-27, had the same priorities as Crowder. That’s partly because he hears about the economic difficulties from his wife in the States. But it’s also because he’s already serving in Iraq.

"I’m here, there’s no concern about that now," Dortch said.

Early in the campaign, many analysts expected the election to be a referendum on the Iraq war, but most soldiers think the war has dropped in importance for most stateside voters.

Detherow said he doesn’t like how little attention is paid to his soldiers who are out working every single day. Yet he also acknowledged that there was some good in not being such a hot topic this year.

"It’s good and bad because it means what we’re doing is working," Detherow said.

At Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, some troops expressed reluctance to discuss the upcoming elections.

"I don’t think so," said one female soldier. "My issues have nothing to do with this right here," she added, motioning to the Army logo on her shirt.

Some said they had followed the campaign while deployed in a war zone. News about deepening economic woes was also hard to miss.

"The way I look at it, there are pros and cons of both the Republicans and the Democrats, and I don’t really favor either side," said Pvt. Gabriel Esquero, 25, of Alamogordo, N.M. "I’m just for whatever presidential candidate is ready to build the economy back up."

Esquero added that he believed both candidates had failed to talk enough to voters about what is at stake in Afghanistan.

"I think a lot of people fail to know what the issues are here," he said. "A lot of people think this is a wasted effort here."

While opinions varied among sailors from Riverine Squadron 3 at Haditha Dam in western Iraq, most said the number of deployments they faced would not be a factor in whom they vote for.

"The deciding factor in who you vote for should not be how often you’ll deploy," said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Combs. "It should be about how this president will affect our nation’s security."

One sailor said he is more likely to vote this year because of the issues at hand — particularly combat deployments.

"From a military standpoint this is one of the more important elections," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas Davis. "It determines whether we stay here for an extended time or have more deployments."

Regardless of their priorities, many troops agreed on one fundamental. As Dortch said, he just wants a candidate who can get down to business.

"Have a plan. Actually have a plan," Dortch advised the candidates. "Just tackle the issues. That’s the bottom line."

Stars and Stripes reporters James Warden, Drew Brown and Jimmy Norris contributed to this report.