Lowell Sun Online - Letters to the Editor- Politicians need to develop an Iraq exit strategy

(Regarding article by Evan Lehmann, 10/12/05) Army communications director Lt. Col. Steven Bloyan is quoted as having said, "Most soldiers at the unit level don't have the information at hand to make decisions on policy....We implement the policy of elected leadership." I’d like to comment on this, because, since I’m Sgt. Pulliam’s sister, I know something about how informed he is. For one thing, he has read hundreds of history books out of sheer curiosity and enjoyment since he was in grade school. From what I understand to be pretty common knowledge, President Bush doesn’t even read the sports page out of curiosity or enjoyment, never mind non-fiction. So, while I don’t contest that American soldiers aren’t privy to all of the information all the time, I’m going to go ahead and say with utter certainty that Sgt. Pulliam has more information about both current affairs and the effects of wartime policy decision (around the world spanning hundreds of years of history) than our elected President does.

"Like thousands of other soldiers, Sgt. Pulliam has been away from his family (and often in harm's way) for more than a year now. He was called so he went -- because it was his military duty to do that. He never believed it was a war that could go well or be wrapped up neatly. Out of all of the vociferous proponents of the war, on the other hand, I personally haven't known a single one to make the time or effort to actually go on over there and get involved. Unlike most of the people fighting this war, Sgt. Pulliam is seasoned and well-educated. He worries, as we all should, about how many more 18- and 19-year-old kids will lose their lives before they have a chance to be either. (It certainly isn't Page One news when they do now, but it's still happening all the time.) I'm very proud of my brother. I know people who aren't in uniform who are actually afraid to say what they think lately.

In his posted letter, (not printed in The Sun) Sgt. Pulliam states that he wrote it hoping "that it can get some politicians motivated to start the dialog" of developing an exit strategy. It's hardly a call to desert next September. Punitive action would be ridiculous. And isn't there already enough to ridicule? Let's face it: The emperor has no clothes.

PATIENCE MERULLO
Chelmsford "

[bth: Patience had me add back in her first paragraph which had been deleted by the Lowell-Sun when it published her letter.]