Veterans at Under the Hood respond to Obama's withdraw annoucement

Local Killeen news covers IVAW members Scott Kimball and Aaron Hughes respond to Obamas address to the country at Under the Hood GI Outreach Center.  

Local soldiers and vets mixed on Afghanistan withdrawal

We talked to Fort Hood soldiers and veterans Wednesday night to get their reaction to President Obama's troop withdrawal plans in Afghanistan.

Opinions were very mixed, from the timetable - to the mental health issues that many deployed soldiers are battling today in Afghanistan.

There was some applause to the President's speech and some eyebrows raised from the crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings in Killeen.  Soldiers and vets alike say they are relieved to know troops are coming home, but for those that have been deployed with delayed end dates, they say they are not believing the end is here yet.

One ranking service member at Fort Hood who withheld his name says, "I've waited for this message for 10 years. Finally I got it and I'm happy!"

This soldier that has deployed to the region three times says he is happy that troops are coming home.  Some vets also told us they were happy to hear that the withdrawal will be spread through 2014.  Retired U.S. Army member, Robert Fleming says, "It's pretty good to do a gradual thing because it helps with the stability of everything."

But several veterans that deployed to Iraq and are now part of Iraq Veterans Against the War say President Obama should not wait to bring all troops home now.  "The back of the military has been broken," says Scott Kimble, who served in the Army.  "It's time to bring our troops home so the people in the military can heal."

Former National Guard member, Aaron Hughes says, "Why does one more mother have to go with losing her son or daughter? Why?"

While there is an end in sight for the war in Afghanistan, many veterans say the battle is far from over.  "For us, the battles are just beginning," says Hughes, "and that's why we need to get all these service members home now, because until we get them all home, that battle is just gonna be prolonged."

Several active duty service members talked with us off camera and the common thread is that they want troops safe at home, but only with the knowledge from top military advisors that it will not jeopardize safety here or in Afghanistan.

Reported by: Britney Glaser/Photographer: Carlos Ramirez