By LARRY HENDRICKS Assistant City Editor | Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010 5:15 am

U.S. Army veteran George Shoemaker of Flagstaff said he understands the need to create more renewable energy sources to wean our country off foreign oil that helps to fund America’s enemies.

But while those renewable energy sources and infrastructure are being created, we should start drilling for our own oil, he said.

Shoemaker’s idea came during a roundtable discussion Friday among about 20 veterans and residents concerned about climate change and how it relates to security for the country. The Operation Free National Veterans for American Power Tour made a stop at the American Legion post in Flagstaff.

“Climate change makes the world a more dangerous place,” said Chuck Tyler, a U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq War with Operation Free. Carbon dioxide emissions affecting the climate can cause droughts that devastate and destabilize poorer countries — and that allows terrorists to find safe havens.

Additionally, said LeAnn Dunn, a National Guard veteran of the Iraq War, America’s dependence on foreign oil affects the country’s national security by supporting terrorist organizations.

“Every time we fill up at the pump, we are putting money into the hands of terrorists,” Dunn said.

As part of the Department of Defense’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, climate change was acknowledged as a threat to instability throughout the world.

Climate change is also acknowledged as a concern by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The group explained that all branches of the military have started working on reducing carbon emissions and moving toward renewable energy sources — becoming a front-runner in the process.

MORE HYBRID VEHICLES?

As an example, solar power instead of gas-powered generators is making its way into the field to power base electrical systems. By reducing the need in vehicles for fuel, less resources need to be used to get fuel to remote locations where the military functions.

Veteran Robin Eckstein said that when she was in Iraq, she often wondered why the military wasn’t using more energy-efficient vehicles like back home. Working as a driver in convoys, she would face improvised explosive devices and sniper fire every time she went out the gate at her base.

“If we could only be more energy-efficient, that would mean fewer times outside the gate,” she explained.

When Shoemaker floated his idea about drilling for oil locally, the group explained that the oil industry functions in a “global market” where there is no guarantee that oil drilled in the U.S. will be sold to our country.

But an Operation Free member, also a Marine veteran, said the result of drilling domestically would just be more oil going into the market, increasing climate change effects.

FEELING BETTER ABOUT IT

Vietnam War veteran and Flagstaff resident Randy Luther attended the discussion out of curiosity.

An electrician by trade, he said he’s personally watched and calculated in his head considerable carbon emissions at places he’s worked in the past. Those emissions have to be having an effect on the planet.

“There’s something going on,” he said.

Problem is, he said, he doesn’t know who to believe. Typically, veterans are conservative people who support conservative causes. Some conservatives, he said, continue to believe that climate change isn’t happening and there appears to be large amounts of information out there.

So when veterans support efforts to stem the effects of climate change, Luther said that voice adds to the argument.

“This does make me feel better about it,” he said.

The tour is expected to make stops in 16 states across the country.

Comments (0) · Leave a Comment

There are currently no comments.