In October of 2007 my daughter, a 12th-grader at Simi Valley High, came home from school very upset because of comments made by students in her government class during a discussion regarding the war we are currently fighting.

Word got to a close family friend currently serving his third tour in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne; he also attended SVHS and graduated in 2000. The following letter was sent home in response:

"Hey, Tiffany, my Mom told me you were having some issues with some people in your government class, and some of them were talking about what they think goes on over here. I'll try to keep this short and to the point because I could go on for hours.

"Supposedly someone was talking about soldiers committing suicide. It has happened, but it's rare. We are half the world away from friends and family. People try to kill us, the weather/climate is horrible, we can't go to a bar or ballgame, etc., etc. Some people's spouses or girlfriends cheat on them and/or leave them.

"Even with all those factors, which are only a few, more people will off themselves in sunny Simi Valley this year than over here. I don't know that for a fact, but I would put money on it.

"As far as how soldiers feel about being over here, I haven't met anyone who has a problem with being in Afghanistan. I would say Iraq has a 60 percent to 70 percent approval rating among those of us who have been there.

"The deal with Iraq isn't why we went in, but some wonder why we are still there. Sadaam was a psycho who killed as he pleased for pleasure and personal gain. I've seen one of his torture chambers, which can only be described as elaborate.

"I've heard stories from Iraqi people about his sons pulling up to college campuses, picking some women, forcing them in their vehicles, then raping, torturing and/ or killing them.

"As far as WMDs go, he had the capability to acquire nuclear weapons, and we found chemical and biological weapons, which we know he used on the Kurds in the North. Well he's gone and so are his weapons, so why are we still there?

"People who say 'oil' are ignorant because, although Iraq does produce some oil, they primarily get it from other countries and refine it there. We can't just go in and take someone's oil for ourselves anyway. There is an organization called O.P.E.C. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) that regulates the number of barrels of crude oil that a country can produce. So tell your peers to do a little research before they go to a protest holding a 'No More Blood For Oil' sign.

"We are still there because if we leave before Iraq can truly govern itself, it will likely go back to being a hotbed for anti-western teachings, a staging area to plan and prep for terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S., and economically dormant when it has the potential to play a substantial role in the world economy.

"Some people say 'Who cares?' Others don't want to see that happen because we'll just have to go back in 10 or 20 years. And there lies the debate; like I said earlier, most of us soldiers would like to finish now rather than our kids finish it.

"And finally I'll say this: People, especially the media, need to realize that we are at war. Most of the military is made up of people 18 to 24 years old, the majority of which joined after Sept. 11, 2001, so they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.

"If someone can't support this effort completely they need to shut their mouths. Americans aren't the only people with satellite televisions, and when these people see the protests and all the negative reactions and statements made by our public (because the media will never show anything positive about what we're doing) it boosts the morale of the enemy and helps with their recruiting effort while having the opposite effect on our own military.

"That's all I've got for now. If you or your friends have any specific questions feel free to write and I'll do my best to answer them and get back to you. I hope this gives you some 'ammo' for your next debate. But remember, you can't fix stupid. Tell the family I said hello and send my love . . .

"Sincerely, Jeremiah, Sergeant, 82nd Airborne-Recon."

Jeremiah Waggoner graduated in 2000 from Simi Valley High School. He enlisted in the Army six months after graduation, served his country, was released and then reinlisted less than a year later and went back to serve with the 82nd Airborne again.

At this time he is scheduled to be sent to Ranger training in Spring 2008 after this tour in Afghanistan.

Jeremiah has ambitions of going into politics sometime in the future; Tiffany has promised to work on his campaign. Heather Collins Simi Valley