Mike Zummer Gives His Reasons
Earlier I posted about Mike Zummer, the Stanford Law Student who chose to take a leave of abscence and go to Iraq. He now sends this email about why he is going.

With the posts going up about my decision, I feel I should say a few words about it. First, I would like to thank everyone for their posts and their extremely kind words about me. I wish I deserved it. The people who deserve it are the servicemembers who are out there now and those who are going with me. Men and women leaving families behind are people who truly deserve praise. However, because of the posts, I will try to express how I came to my decision.

Before Stanford, I was an FBI agent. Before that, I was in the Marine Corps. Leaving the FBI and the Marine Corps were the two most difficult days of my life. I was leaving organizations that I loved with all of my heart. I was leaving the service of my country which I love more than anything in the world. However, I left both because I felt there was something else for me to do. I left the Marine Corps to join the FBI. I left the FBI, because I felt that I could do more as a prosecutor with a degree from a school with a reputation as great as Stanford's.

While leaving Stanford was not an easy decision, staying did not make any sense to me. I did not volunteer because of any sort of death-wish. I did not volunteer because I'm homicidal. I volunteered because Marines are in a fight. When Marines are fighting, it is a fellow Marine's duty to help them. That is our ethos. I couldn't stay protected while my Marines were doing their duty. Our country will survive with one less lawyer, but we need as many Marines as we can get. Especially now. Semper Fidelis.