To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing in response to one of four photos published in the March 4th Daily. In providing a biography and synopsis of the UOSA executive candidates’ positions, the Daily ran photos of each pair of candidates. The Daily staff took three of these photos; the candidates themselves provided the last, presumably. This outlier concerns me.
The photo portrays both candidates wearing U.S. Army uniforms. It is unclear from the photo or the accompanying blurb whether either is a current or former member of the military or with what branch they are affiliated. In any event, both should be aware of the situations where the wear of the Army uniform is prohibited. I would direct them and anyone interested to Army Regulation 670-1 section 1-10-j. Both candidates may well be upstanding citizens and qualified applicants for a role in UOSA, but they are engaging in their bid for UOSA office as individual citizens not as soldiers. They should not have supplied the photo of themselves in uniform. The candidates should have known better; and we, the student body, should not confuse the personal political interests of individuals with their unstated roles as soldiers. The candidates do not represent the U.S. government, the U.S. Army, or veterans on campus in any way with their candidacy, despite what the photo may lead some to conclude. To use one’s military service by wearing his/her uniform in a bid to further “political or commercial interests” is despicable.
Joshua Dhanens
Philosophy Graduate Student
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