Guardsman would rather face Taliban than U.S. economy

[babylonsister]

Guardsman would rather face Taliban than U.S. economy

By Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers


DELARAM, Afghanistan — Around the barren military base, which sits at the crossroads of the Taliban's poppy trade route, news arrives slowly. A single issue of the U.S. military's newspaper arrives by airlift about every two weeks. While on patrol in remote villages, Afghans sometime shout at the Marines in Russian to go away, unaware that the troops are promoting democracy. Most Marines here said that they didn't know about President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet picks, including his decision to keep Robert Gates as their secretary of defense.

However, the domestic economic meltdown has reached even here. The National Guardsmen who serve with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Corps Regiment, based here, say they fear that their jobs won't be there when they return.

With uncertainty at home, some are doing what they once considered unthinkable: extending their tours. They say that they'd rather tackle a resurging Taliban than a struggling economy.

Among them is Sgt 1st Class John Russell, 45, of Royal Oak, Mich., who works alongside the Marines who are based here.

Russell, a 22-year National Guard veteran, has extended his tour of duty here, hoping that the economy will turn around while he serves. He left his job as a manager at a car dealership in Carmel, N.Y., where he sold General Motors, Ford and Chrysler cars.

This is his fourth deployment, but the first one that he fears will leave him with no job to return to. When he finishes in May, he'll have served 17 months.

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