As a former student of Iowa State, I am writing in response to Jessie Dienst’s Sept. 19 article, “Long-awaited homecoming.” I would like to know if there is more to this story.

I have a loved one who is currently overseas in Iraq. He has been in active duty since November 2002 and has been in Iraq since Jan. 2, 2003. He has been in the National Guard since 1999.

I do not understand how Sgt. Travis Farley’s family simply saved up money for a plane ticket, and the army is allowing him to leave! If that were the case, I would have easily given all my money to bring my loved one home for a week, and I think everyone else would, too. The army does not even allow soldiers a week of leave to come home and be there when their first child is brought into this world, nor does it allow soldiers a week of leave to bury a family member — yet this article is telling everyone that Travis gets to come home because his family misses him and to “settle for a regular college football weekend?”

Poor Travis has to miss the bowl games — big deal. What about the soldiers who missed births and deaths? I don’t understand the point of this article. I cannot help but take this article personally, and I find it very insulting to the people who have family and friends serving our country who do not get the luxury of seeing them anytime soon.

Please tell me if there is more to this story than I am reading, because I find it amazing that Sgt. Travis Farley is coming home for a week simply because his family sent him a plane ticket. If that’s the case, I know many people, including myself, who would like to find out how to bring our loved ones home for a week.

Julie Sokol

West Lafayette, Ind.