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I read “Karaoke night, other amusements take a back seat at Kandahar” (Oct. 29, Web). This is not the right thing to do.

Soldiers of today’s Army need a way to relax and release tension in a war zone, and by taking away the things they enjoy you are going to cause more harm than good.

I understand that concentration should be on the mission, which is what a majority of the military already does. These amenities are helpful in keeping soldiers sane, surely not taking the focus off of the mission.

We are seeing an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder problems with soldiers today and this would only increase if you were to take away the things that help soldiers cope with being deployed.

We can’t drink and are strongly urged to stop smoking. We are thousands of miles away from our loved ones and, at times, the only thing keeping some soldiers from going truly nuts is the availability of going to places that make them feel at home. Burger King, Subway, a jewelry shop or two, and Starbucks could be the only thing keeping the PTSD and suicide rate from going higher. The cutbacks that need to be made are having 100-plus vehicles with upgraded armor sitting at a base collecting rust in a parking lot.

The military has all these upgraded protective vehicles that shouldn’t be on a base. They should be given to soldiers on the front lines to use.

The government should rethink where spending cuts should be made, and it should start with the vehicles not in use on bases!

Staff Sgt. Cory D. BoogaardCamp Beuhring, Kuwait

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