O’ Captain, My Captain

I’m 38, mother of 3, from a small farming community in the midwest. I work for Head Start, which is a federally funded pre-school program for low income families. My husband is ex-Army and spent a year in Afghanistan, now he’s in nursing school.

Before my husband left for Afghanistan I asked off handedly what I was going to do while he was gone, but my husband replied rather seriously and said, find a way to end these wars.

That was in 2010 and I doubt I’ll ever forget that conversation because I wanted an answer as badly as he. One of the many reasons why we’re voting for Bernie Sanders is because of it. Bernie isn’t a warhawk, he comes from the mind of diplomacy and collectiveness. He understands the true costs of war and his record with veterans is admirable. I respect that.

Several months ago I turned to my husband and I told him I think I have the beginning of an answer to endless war and introduced him to this craggy, wise old man who had some pretty amazing ideas, ideas I had believed in most of my life. You see, I’m a pacifist who married a philosophical soldier. We’re voting for Bernie because we believe he can bring out the best in this country, we trust him. And that means a lot.