Gus Ruelas, Daily News Photographer

Edwards' Wife Visits Voters In Burbank
By Alex Dobuzinskis

On a campaign stop at a Burbank home Monday to support the Democratic presidential ticket, Elizabeth Edwards spoke about her life growing up on military bases, saying members of the armed forces need more government support.

In the living room of Vietnam veteran Emilio Gonzalez and his wife, Joanne, Edwards, the wife of vice presidential candidate John Edwards, talked with veterans and voters with family members in the military.

They focused on such issues as cuts to Veterans Affairs hospitals and the size of the armed forces.

Mark Seigel, 48, is an undecided voter whose son is an infantry sergeant posted in Baghdad. The Tujunga computer programmer told Edwards his son is on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"What I know that means though is that . . . it's 24/7 for you too," Edwards, 55, told him.

Edwards, whose father was a Navy pilot, said she was in high school when she saw her father go to Vietnam.

She also said she went to Department of Defense schools overseas, where her father was deployed, and that the government needs to properly fund schools on military bases.

Edwards chided President George W. Bush and his administration for a "lack of commitment" to those in the military.

Democrat John Kerry plans to increase the Armed Forces by 40,000 troops, so that soldiers do not need to be recalled to serve in Iraq after a previous deployment, she said.

"We need a more sensible rotation," Edwards said. "That's going to require more troops."

After Edwards said the United States must treat other foreign powers with more respect to get them involved in Iraq, Vietnam veteran Phil Tabbi, 56, questioned the plan.

"How do you try to give somebody respect when we asked them to help us and they turned us down? Tabbi said.

Edwards responded that the United States needs to look at the reasons help was turned down, and said France balked because it wanted to negotiate on the repayment of the debt owed it by Iraq.

"Who knows what the real motives are, except we have a capacity as the leader of the free world, instead of saying, 'A pox on your house,' to understand that it is our interest . . . that we solve this problem," she said.