My name is Walter J. McDowell III and I was in the United States Navy from 1997 through 2001. I spoke three years ago at a similar event that was held in Antelope Park. I had more hair then and might have looked a little wilder than I do today. When Josh Cramer asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would speak here today, I had to take a couple of days to decide and try and figure out, what exactly I would say to you. I am by no means an expert on war; I am just one guy who happens to have been in the military at one point in his lifetime and this is only one point of view by a former enlisted man.

I grew up in North Lincoln, my old stomping grounds are just a stones throw from this very spot. I was educated in the Lincoln Public School system and I grew up in government subsidized housing. I say this, because I want to convey to you all that I am not some foreign entity in regard to this town. I have lived other places when I was older, but the large majority of my life existence was spent right here which means that my way of thinking was formed right here in this town.

When I started to think about this speech and when I think back to the speech that I gave three years ago, I seem to always fall back on why people join the military. My reasoning was that I was a poor kid with minimal job prospects out of high school and I wanted to go to college, but lacked the money to do so. So in 1997 I was approached by the Navy to join up and I got the same speech that thousands upon thousands of other people get in this country about learning valuable skills that will transfer over into civilian life and all the while earning money to go to college.

This worked out for me, but for thousands of others this has not. As of last night 3065 Americans have died in Iraq and 353 Americans have died in Afghanistan, This includes 32 Nebraskans who have lost their lives in Iraq and 2 Nebraskans who have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The Youngest being 19 years of age and the oldest being 35 years of age. Looking over the list the overwhelming majority of these deaths were attributed to people in their twenties. People, Nebraskans who are young enough to go overseas and die for decisions that our elected officials, but too young to hold office in those same positions.

I wonder what would possess a young person, with a whole long life ahead of them and a war going on to sign up, to be charmed by the likes of a recruiter in a snazzy uniform. I have heard that some people who do join are being offered enlistment bonuses in the range from fifteen to fifty thousand dollars. I wonder if the money is worth it, especially in a country that is supposed to be so prosperous. People are literally signing their lives away for what could be considered pocket change compared to what the corporations are making off the war.

Our country has spent over 361 Billion dollars on the war in Iraq, with an estimated 2.7 billion of that coming from Nebraska. 2.7 Billion dollars. I have to wonder where this money is going and to what end will it stop. I have to wonder where our priorities lie.

For 2.7 billion dollars we Nebraskans could have received health care for 836,279 people or health care coverage for 1,114,387 children or 490,594 Scholarships for University Students. But our priorities as a country don’t lie with silly little things like education or health care, but maybe they should. If we can find 361 billion dollars to fund a war with no perceivable end in sight, why can’t we find money for basic things like food, shelter, education, and health care for Americans? As I see it our priorities are not in the right place. We are fighting a war under the guise of national security, while people are going to bed hungry, while people do not have a decent roof over their heads, while people can not get access to decent educational systems, while people weigh the option of visiting a hospital for medical care, or paying rent and buying groceries for the month.

I don’t have all the answers and in reality I seem to have a good many more questions, which people don’t seem to want to answer. But maybe they should. I know that I am not the greatest speaker out here, but I appreciate all of you spending the time to listen to what I had to say here this morning. Thank you.

Walter J. McDowell III was a member of the United States Navy from 1997-2001. Since the end of his service, he has served in a number of different capacities in the local community and continues to be against bonehead ideas brought forth by elected officials.

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