A military choice

Here's an election perspective that hasn't got much play on the Daily Herald editorial pages, the perspective of a U.S. Navy officer that I know well. He has some serious skin in the game, for the next President will be his new Commander-in-Chief.

Unlike some of the retired military officers who have made their preferences public, he is currently serving. His life, and the lives of the men and women he serves with, will be determined by the policies and decisions of our next President.

The choice? One is a candidate with in-depth experience in foreign affairs as a senator and secretary of state, a person who has not only made decisions that have contributed to national security and world peace, but also some mistakes. And she has admitted and learned from those mistakes.

The other is a candidate with no foreign policy experience, a neophyte in foreign affairs who makes statements and draws conclusions based on little knowledge and no track record including either good decisions or mistakes. Indeed, his rhetoric suggests that he believes himself to be mistake-proof.

This young officer, a Lieutenant Commander and Naval Academy graduate who was raised in politically conservative Kansas City by a family with a long history of dedicated military service, sees the choice to pick his "next boss" with clarity and seriousness. Hillary Clinton.

George Peternel

Arlington Heights