For Marines, Afghanistan is main battleground state

For Jacksonville voters, Afghanistan is main battleground state
WRAL.com

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — While the campaigns of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are locked in a fight to win North Carolina, for many people who live near Camp Lejeune, the real battleground state is on the other side of the world.

James Tyree, a retired Marine who now cuts hair at the Headquarters Barber Shop in Jacksonville, said the community has struggled every day for 11 years with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His customers aren't eager to give their opinions about war or the election, rarely speaking unless spoken to first.

Sgt. Daniel Potts Jr., who brought his 1-year-old son in for his first haircut, said he has deployed three or four times in recent years. He said he's "indifferent" to plans to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

"I joined to do what I'm doing and to support and defend my country, so I'm doing that," Potts said.

After fighting for the U.S., he said he just wants people to care enough about the country to cast a ballot.

"A lot of people don't register to vote. A lot of people just don't get out there and do it. It's important," he said.

Lance Cpl. Tyler Burns, who bears a tattoo on his arm that says "Brothers will be there for all adversity," said he thinks Romney is more likely than Obama to send him to more war in the Middle East.
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