JACKSONVILLE, Fla — WOKV military analyst and host of First Coast Military Life, Ret. Col. Chris Budihas, stopped by Jacksonville’s Morning News to break down the recent change in military leadership, the public’s opinion of the war with Iran, and the successful rescue of the shot-down airmen.
“Here’s the reality, it’s putting people in danger, both on their side and our side, and here’s the reality as I pulled up in my truck this morning, there’s issues and the American people are extremely resilient; they will sacrifice financially in order to support something they believe it, but right now the public polls are very low, and this goes back to, in my opinion, proper communication by our leadership, both our political and the military leadership,” said Col. Budihas. “Ultimately, it’s up to the political leadership, because they’re ultimately in charge in accordance with our constitution. So we have to have clear communication and clear understanding of the American public, and let’s be honest, our American public is sometimes not informed. This should be a call to action that we need to pay attention to what’s happening because this has global ramifications. Let’s be honest, if you don’t like the price of gas now, it can go up, by the way.” According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas is $4.18.
You can hear Budihas’ thoughts on the recent change in military leadership and the successful airmen rescue mission in the full interview.
You can hear First Coast Military Life, Sundays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on 104.5 WOKV.
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