This is actually quite a hot-button topic here in my neck of the woods, because our local National Guard fighter wing is transitioning from F-16s to the MQ-9 Reaper. While there's the one side of the coin that it could keep individuals from developing combat-induced stress (I personally hope they still have plenty of mental-health services available to them, 'cuz in my book, they're still combat vets!), I can also see the possibility that it could almost desensitize someone, too. I guess it's a fine line to walk. Whatever their role in the conflict, I'm just glad they're serving.
When all is said and done, though, I think the move to the Reaper is a fantastic thing for the wing, even though I'll miss what I lovingly call my Saturday morning "wake-up call"...hearing the -16s zip over my house at 8:30 a.m. when the pilots are training.
