I don’t think any of the candidates in the 2008 presidential election will bring Gregory Dillon home.

Currently, Greg is stationed in Qatar.

He is a liaison officer and his primary objective is to escort convoys of personnel between two military bases, ensuring their safety and timely arrival.

He requested to be shipped out after being stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California.

I’ve known his family for years and we have always gotten along.

I decided to ask him, who is deeply imbedded in the American military and will be greatly affected by any choice the president makes, what he thinks about the 2008 election.

Before answering the questions, he made sure I know that he was not speaking on behalf of the United States Marine Corps; he was speaking on his own behalf, but that just so happened to include his occupation as a Marine.

Republican candidate Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., is who gives the United States the most hope in the presidential election.

Dillon told me that McCain was a prisoner of war while serving during the Vietnam War.

He believes that with McCain in the White House, he will have hope for the United States.

What I read in the e-mail from Dillon was exactly what I wanted to read from a good friend, which reassured me that I am not the only one who thinks these things.

“McCain is old and he is a Republican. Currently, we have a Republican in office with George Bush, and he isn’t very popular which results in McCain not being very popular,” Dillon said. “People will automatically vote for a Democrat just to avoid a Republican.”

I could not agree more.

I did not support George W. Bush when he first ran for office in 2000.

In 2004, I still was unsupportive after everything that had occurred during his first four-year term.

“(Sen. Hillary) Clinton; well, she is a woman,” Dillon said. “We have never had a woman and this may not be the best time for our country to try something new.”

Although women do hold the country together in many places, I do not believe that going in that direction would be beneficial.

The biggest question in the election is Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill..

“This guy evokes a lot of uncomfortable questions that most people won’t research,” he said.

Like Dillon, I feel that all of these candidates have something to offer America, but neither of us completely support any of them fully.

“I’m not going to vote. I haven’t taken the time to properly study the candidates, and I’m not going to vote based on a gut feeling. I’m content to stay here in the Middle East and serve my country. Let those at home who are free, and who we are fighting for, do the voting,” Dillon said.

I support our troops in whatever mission they are sent on.

I appreciate what he is doing for our country and I wish him nothing but the best.

On Tuesday, November 4, I truly hope that Americans will make a decision that will help, not hinder, our country’s future.