America is in a situation that hasn’t occurred in nearly 30 years — a presidential election in the midst of a controversial war.

American soldiers are in a unique situation, experiencing the war on terrorism — the most important issue of the election — firsthand. Polls show the majority of soldiers are standing by the current president.

A recent “Army Times” magazine poll of 4,165 active duty soldiers showed that President Bush is supported by 73 percent of the armed forces, while Democratic challenger John Kerry carries the 18 percent. The results did not differentiate between the soldiers who had been deployed and those who had not.

Lt. Col. Lawrence Braue, professor and chairman of military science and tactics, said the military is split when it comes to the election on Tuesday — just not as widely as the general public is.

“The military is still divided. It’s a matter of who you ask,” Braue said.

One thing to keep in mind is that soldiers still consider all of the other issues not involving the war, he said.

“There’s more out there than just the war — economic issues, jobs — a lot of different things that soldiers look at,” Braue said.

Even though Kerry supporters exist in the armed forces, Bush seems to have a strong hold on the demographic, which doesn’t surprise the ISU student soldiers voting for Bush.

“He took care of us while we were over there,” said Spc. Alyssa Wells, who left for Iraq an Independent and returned more than a year later as a Republican.

Spc. Chris Mickle, an Independent, said he knows exactly what he looks for in the U.S. commander in chief.

“I go with whoever I feel is right to do the job,” Mickle said.

Mickle, who was stationed in Iraq from January 2003 to April 2004, said he will vote for Bush on Tuesday.

“He’s done everything that he said he would the best he could,” he said. “You can be mad at Bush for sending us over there, but why? We really are defending America.”

Braue said a lot of positive things are being accomplished in Iraq, and he hears about them firsthand from students who have been sent overseas.

“We’re the ones that are actually fighting the war on terror, and you hear on the news about how poorly the war is being run, but the soldiers are there, and it’s really not that bad. We’re doing a lot of great things,” Braue said.

Mickle said he believes in giving Bush the chance to continue with his plan.

“I believe when you start something, you should be able to finish it,” he said.

Most soldiers agreed that while the war in Iraq may not control their vote by 100 percent, they do pay more attention to certain issues because those decisions may have a direct effect on their lives.

Lance Cpl. Les Graeser said he has watched foreign issues more closely since joining the Marines.

“I pay more attention to what’s going on overseas because I have a chance of getting sent over there, and I want to know what the conditions are,” Graeser said.

No matter what issue each individual soldier finds most important, they will all play an important part in deciding who will serve as president for the next four years, Braue said. Having the choice to vote is one of the great things about being a U.S. citizen, he said.

“We may be a divided nation, but hey, we have a choice.”