In recent Flashbacks strips, we've seen B.D. trying to come to grips with his personal reality and his reactions to VA counseling (which I am not faulting, please) and now we have Ray headed for the same path (at least we hope so). Problem is, I'm going to have to ask my therapist if this constitutes a flashback. (Actually, no need to ask, been there, still there.) Thanks for keeping it real and also keeping it funny. It's a neat piece of juggling.

I have been a fan of your lambasting, political analysis, comments -- in short, of your strip -- for years. Not only for the strip itself but also for the worldview from a US viewpoint, which at times I must admit is a bit alien to my own culture. It is clear, concise, and allows me to better understand the sometimes baffling, sometimes frustrating reactions of a country I learned to love when I first travelled there 20 odd years ago. Thank you.

B.D. and Harrison Ford are looking more and more alike as they age. Maybe B.D. should get an earring too.

Garry, you're killing me with this Ray and Sam thread. Today's is funnier than yesterday! And yet...you still keep it real. Lovin you more than ever, dude (and I've been reading since '76).

Garry, please don't let Ray fall through the cracks. We live with the real suffering from our overseas adventures daily, those of us who haven't gotten bored or distracted, anyway. Ray's story arc through the decades has been at times painful, inspirational, and, of course, always breathtakingly funny. Back to Dick Davenport's unexpected and heartbreaking demise from the strip, we've come to appreciate the human aspect you inject into our denizen's lives, up to and including B.D.'s maiming in Iraq and his long journey towards recovery. Right now, the ugly adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Libya have cost us dearly emotionally. Please let Ray finally find his way home. I hope you'll let a beloved character have a win.

Ah, the complete disconnect between combat veterans and civilians. Some things never really change.

Welcome home, Ray. I know B.D. will be there for you, as will Walden Pond and the rest of the group.

Boy, GBT, I am a longtime devotee of Doonesbury, but Ray asking Sam "Are you into weed yet?" makes me really uncomfortable. My father was a B-29 jock during WWII, so I'm familiar with PTSD. But I hope Sam stays clean.

The July 3 strip in the recruiting office was brilliant! That captures Army recruiting perfectly. Having been in that world and had that exact same scenario happen numerous times, it is gratifying to see that the recruiter's pain is understood by someone in the civilian world. SGT Truman needs to make another appearance, where he is interviewing a wanna-be GI Joe from the PS3 generation who knows all about war from his gaming console, wants to do all the high-speed, hooah-hooah stuff -- but doesn't want to deploy. I loved those kids! From a long time reader from the days of Nixon, kudos, and thanks for the continued hard work.

The inclusion of the word "yet" in Ray's question to Sam was today's 'chuckle point'. In the words of another cartoon character, Homer Simpson: 'It's funny because it's true.'

Wow! Talk about "everything old is new again"! 30 years ago, the folks voted in with the mandate of "getting government off our backs" spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the government into the examination room with a woman and her doctor. Nothing new under the sun, huh?

In the wake of Newsweek's recent creepy and exploitative resurrection of Diana, I come across the charming, loving, and exquisitely nuanced reprisal of Lacey Davenport in today's 10-year Flashback. Tina Brown, take note: it's possible to pay homage to the dead -- real or fictional -- with affection and grace. Thanks, GBT!

Am I allowed to like Jim? Does this make me a bad person? I don't know what it must be like to have a billion dollars. The pressure must be huge. Or a million. Or a...

The recent BLOWBACK posts remind me of something I learned at college. Don't let your classes get in the way of your education!

Re. CLINGING. It's a mistake to lump "trade schools" with inferior educational institutions. It's true that many people do not need to go to college; there are only so many "intellectuals" an economy can support. There are, however, many skilled jobs that need filling. Carpentry, mechanics, electricians, and plumbers are just a few examples. The problem is not "anti-intellectualism" (although the vitriol spewed against said intellectuals in this country is rather frightening). That vitriol is a symptom of the ignorance, bloated individual self-interest, and sense of entitlement many current voters seem to embody, especially the economically privileged. That is why the U.S. is an embarrassingly ungovernable mess.

Why go to college? So you can understand Doonesbury.

Re. WHY GO TO COLLEGE? There are institutions and students still clinging to the principles and ideals expressed by this hopeful respondent. They're underfunded and marginalized bits of flotsam on the vast polluted sea of diploma mills and trade schools that constitutes higher education in this country. Do indeed Google the question! The top hit I got was from Yahoo's "Answers" and was posted by someone who had turned to the Internet to get the answer to an essay question. Anyone who did get an education will recognize these plaints as being of great antiquity. The novelty is the degree to which anti-intellectualism has come to dominate, and reduce our nation to an ungovernable level of stupidity.

Iran just fired 17 missiles which will be capable of striking US bases in the Gulf, and Israel, with nuclear bombs when Iran has the bombs. There is little that the Red Rascal or Duke can do, any more than when J.R. Ewing on Dallas plotted to bomb Saudi oil fields to raise the price of oil.

Learning to weld in high school shop was the only part of education that earned me a nickel. But college made me the sophisticated gentleman I am today. And 18 years after high school, a BA gave me a career; nothing to do with welding.

Congresswoman Lacey Davenport has been appearing on the FLASHBACKS page recently -- in the 25 Years Ago storyline. I must say how very much I miss her. She was a wonderful character, and there has been no one to take her role.