Posted yesterday on Reddit's SandersforPresident page, this letter — which has already gone viral -- tells another side of why we need Bernie Sanders in the White House. The author, Eric Gunlefinger, was a Corporal in the Marine Corp. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, mostly in Fallujah, starting when he was 19 years old.

Eric’s letter praises Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for his decision to vote against invading Iraq in 2002. Sanders was adamantly opposed to the war, predicting – correctly! – that the invasion would have disastrous results and destabilize the area. As you probably know, Hillary Clinton voted for giving George W. Bush the authority to invade.

The YT above contains both Sanders’s and Clinton’s speeches explaining their votes.

But back to the letter — Eric kindly gave me permission to post it in its entirety. I tried to highlight a few sentences, but gave up. The whole thing is important and it doesn’t take long to read.

Senator Sanders, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for exercising sound judgment even when everyone around you was beating the war drums. See I fought in the streets of Fallujah, Iraq. I saw more blood and death than any 19 year old ever should. The amount of friends I've lost to war will likely be surpassed by the amount of friends I've since lost to suicide. I know first hand the moral cost of war. One of the most painful truths that I must go through life with is that I fought in an unjust and unfounded war. While my intentions were good and I fought hard for the men to my left and to my right, and while I thought what I was doing was right for the people of Iraq- I was wrong. You knew this. You knew this before we went to war and you fought, and you spoke truth to your peers and though your words largely fell on deaf ears, I am truly heartened to know that I now have a chance to vote for a man who exercised sound and moral judgment when the war drums were beating the loudest. I have a son. He is only one and a half years old but someday he will be 18 and I fear that if we continue to elect the same establishment politicians, he too will face the same decision that I did, and he too will go off to fight in an endless quagmire and that he too will come home, broken, and never fully returned or worse- never come home at all. So thank you, Senator Sanders, for being of sound mind and judgment. Thank you for being the only voice in this race that does not want to continue this legacy of warfare. Thank you for being the only voice that is and has been standing up for those of us that fought in these misguided wars. Thank you for giving me hope for a peaceful future. Sincerely, A U.S. Marine - 0311 Operation Iraqi Freedom

Veterans’ issues haven’t gotten a lot of attention in this campaign, so here’s a short overview of where Bernie Sanders stands. He has a long history of fighting for veterans.

For example, last year, as Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Bernie Sanders successfully led a bi-partisan effort to pass the most far-reaching veterans legislation in decades; to expand veterans’ health care, establish dozens of new VA clinics, hire more doctors and nurses, and increase transparency and accountability at the VA. The bill also guarantees that recently separated veterans get in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, and extends educational benefits to surviving spouses of veterans who died in the line of duty.

Sanders is also determined to end the disgrace of 50,000 homeless veterans living on our streets, as well as provide expanded services to families of service members and veterans. And this is nothing new; he has supported veterans for his entire career. In the past 30 years, Sanders has sponsored more bills focusing on veterans than any other congressperson. You can read more about his platform for service people here.

But here’s the key point, the one Eric Gunlefinger makes so well in his letter: In addition to providing better care for veterans, Sanders wants war to be the last option as we go forward. Fewer wars means fewer families experiencing the nightmare of deployment, fewer deaths, maiming, suicides, and PTSD cases, as well as fewer horrific civilian casualties abroad.

Seems to me that the best option is to join with Senator Sanders and find ways to keep our young men and women safe at home, instead of sending them off to kill strangers thousands of miles away. Young people deserve better than to be funneled into the Military Industrial Complex because they can’t afford college or find a job that allows them to support a family.

So I’m joining Eric Gunlefinger and VetsforBernie in asking undecided voters to take a good look at Bernie Sanders as our best hope for a peaceful future.

Commenters, whether or not you agree with me, please be respectful to our service members. Discussions around here are pretty heated (there’s an understatement!) but I would appreciate it if no one directs their anger toward veterans or active service members. Thanks!