DNC Enlists Ohio Vet To Slam John McCain: Went From Factory Floor To Army Rangers

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Former Army ranger Roger Martinez delivered today's Democratic radio address, and the Ohio vet who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan wasn't saluting GOP presidential candidate John McCain. He sees the Arizona senator continuing the policies of George Bush and described him as totally out of touch with the economic struggles of working families. Martinez did three separate deployments with the 1st Ranger Battalion and says U.S. troops are "fighting valiantly in Iraq" but cannot overcome that nation's political problems.

The complete text of his radio address is here. While much of it is about the war, Martinez also speaks about his days in an Ohio factory alongside his father and brother, and how the veterans on the shop floor encouraged him to enlist. Unfortunately, the plant's location isn't mentioned. Here's Martinez, now a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, about his time in Ohio:

"Before I joined the U.S. Army, I worked with my father and older brother in a factory in Ohio and have many friends still working in those same factories. It was on that factory floor where veterans from all eras of the military encouraged me to serve my country and to see the world. But it was my brother joining the Army Reserves that really opened my eyes to the great opportunities that military service can provide. I am so thankful that I followed their advice. But it was also on that factory floor that I learned that all the hard work in the world isn't enough for so many working families, when Washington is more interested in helping the ultra-rich than the working families.

"After working in Washington for 25 years, and admitting that he does not understand the economy, John McCain is out of touch with the struggles of American families like mine. He says the economy is strong, but how can he not see that families just like mine are struggling to pay for out of control health care costs, home heating bills, gasoline, and college tuition? He hasn't even put out a plan to address the mortgage crisis."

A military-related blog called VetVoice could have some interesting comments later today about Martinez and his partisan take on the McCain candidacy. VetVoice generally is opposed to the war.