Number 19 on the Reasons One Fights in Iraq
September 3, 2007
A Way Out of Debt by Way of Iraq
By JOHN LELAND
Nick Sloan was $68,021.35 in debt earlier this year when he decided he needed a change. Mr. Sloan, 26, is a captain in the Air Force, and was stationed in Colorado Springs. Looking at his financial life, he saw only a series of bad decisions.
So he made what he calls a “radical” break: he volunteered to go to Iraq. In May he arrived for duty in Baghdad.
“I came to the realization that I was so far over my head, I had to do something drastic to increase my cash flow,” Captain Sloan said by telephone from the Green Zone, where he now receives extra pay and has minimal living expenses. “Iraq did that.”
“I hate to make it seem like I’m here just for money, because it’s not true,” he said. “There’s many worthy things about being here. But if I can use this to my advantage, I definitely should.”
Since arriving in Baghdad, he has gotten his debt below $4,000. --read article-- ____________________________________________________________________________- Captain Sloan's refuge is many another soldier's quicksand, as Reservists find themselves wrenched away from jobs and family businesses to sink out of sight financially. Who would have thought fighting for your country would end up to be a choice motivated or feared for financial reasons?
* For more in-depth articles by Jim on Iraq War, check out Opinion-Columns.com