West Tennesseans React To Troop Withdrawal
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President Barack Obama made a big announcement Friday that will affect thousands of Tennessee military families. He announced that U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year, just in time for the holidays. It is something military families have been waiting for for a long time. More than 21,000 troops from Tennessee have been deployed to Iraq since the war began right after September 11, 2001, and some of them here in Jackson are on board with the president’s plans. “I think it’s wonderful,” said Candidate Nathan Hayes, who works for the Tennessee National Guard. “I think it’s been a long time coming. We haven’t officially seen any new redeployment orders on any of the 1,300 Tennessee National Guard soldiers and airmen that we have over there, so we’re kind’ve in a ‘wait and see’ mode on that as far as getting the paperwork to follow the speech he’s made.” Hayes said it is still too early to say if all of the troops in Iraq will even go home. There is a possibility they could be sent somewhere else overseas, like Kuwait. “As far as where they could be, they may be shifted to somewhere else or they’ll be redeployed home, but we don’t know yet. All that is purely speculation,” Hayes said. Retired veteran Alexander Jones served seven months in Iraq. He said it is time to move on. “It’s like playing Russian roulette,” Jones said. “You can only go over there so many times before something bad happens to that individual. I think they need to come on out and find something else to do with our military time.” Anyone will questions about the withdrawal is asked to call the Tennessee military department in Nashville.
