Oklahomans On Homefront Discuss Afghanistan Withdrawal

Dan Bewley, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- President Obama is laying out the plan to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. He will explain the process, which would begin as early as July, in a Wednesday night address.

Hundreds of Oklahomans are currently serving in Afghanistan. It's unknown how the president's plan will impact our servicemen and women.

You can imagine that's it mighty stressful for family and friends of Oklahoma's own serving in Afghanistan.

But as we wait to see what the president's plan will mean to Oklahoma, those I talked to are in support of getting the troops out of Afghanistan.

Fi Davis' son is in the 45th Infantry. Sergeant Michael Davis is serving in Afghanistan.

"I am so proud that it's just something that you'd never understand, and I am real proud," said Fi Davis, father of a U.S. soldier.

"His opinion is that we are winning. We are doing what we are supposed to be doing and we are accomplishing what he was trained and what all of the military were trained to do," Fi Davis said.

Sergeant Davis is one of hundreds of Oklahomans serving in Afghanistan. Dozens more have spent the past few weeks training in Mississippi, preparing to be deployed to the Middle East in July.

"I would like for my son to be home. I want him to be out of harm's way just like any normal parent would want their children to be out of harm's way," Fi Davis said.

5/11/2011 Related Story: Oklahoma Soldiers Train For Counterinsurgency Missions

He may soon get his wish. President Obama is set to announce that thousands of servicemen and women will soon be pulled out of Afghanistan.

How that impacts Oklahomans like Sergeant Davis is unknown, but his father agrees that it's time to leave the country.

"I support the President in whatever efforts he's making because I think it's time we came back from those skirmishes, and I support that fully," Fi Davis said.

Cindy Tesney is a member of the 45th Infantry. Her unit is currently in Afghanistan, she was unable to go because of a back injury.

That's not her only connection to the country, her nephew is in the Army and has been on the ground in Afghanistan for a month.

"You wait for a Facebook status update, anything. You just wait to make sure he's okay," Cindy Tesney said.

She's also waiting for details of the president's plan but says a slow withdrawal is a good decision.

"I think that his moving them out slowly is going to be a great plan because if you move them out too quick something might happen, you never know," she said.