Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot has an article describing the thoughts and feelings of the residents of Marine stronghold Jacksonville, NC:

There is one topic very much on people’s minds, one that could alter how the United States carries out its mission in Iraq: the November presidential election. The Marine community – and Jacksonville as a whole – unabashedly supports Bush. Mention the Democratic ticket in a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post and be prepared for a lecture.

“It’s very rare that you have a military member who’s a Democrat and is brave enough to say it,” Pitchford acknowledged. “They know they can’t win the war, so they don’t get into the battle.”

Inside VFW Post 9133 on a recent night, a handful of veterans talked about North Carolina’s junior senator – vice presidential nominee John Edwards – and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry with disgust.

“If Kerry gets in there, God bless America, we’re finished,” said Ron Rang, a retired Marine who served two tours in Vietnam. Should Kerry win, Rang said, the thousand military deaths in Iraq will have been in vain.

C'mon, fellas, tell us how you really feel.