For both Democrat Judy Baker and Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer, one of the issues is service.

A couple of mid-Missouri men know what service is all about.

Retired Third Party Petty Officer Bruce Cox spends most of his days at his antique shop in Hermann. Meanwhile, the U.S. is fighting two wars across the world. 

"In my opinion, number one, we don't have, we don't have enough. We're stretched thin, these guys are overworked," Cox said

Cox knows a little something about service.

"I was in the navy for four years and retired from 45 years of firefighting," he said.

He still feels a strong connection with the military.

"Three of my children joined the Marine Corps. One of them is still active, he just reenlisted," he said.

Cox's son is likely to be deployed to one of America's hotzones.

American deaths in Iraq are now at 4,180 according to the Department of Defense, but the troop surge beginning in early 2007 has cut casualties. In October 2006, there were 106 American deaths according to iCasualties, a website tracking American casualties by each month.

That number dipped to 38 last October and just 12 so far this month. However, as Iraq casualties decline, Afghanistan is getting increasingly violent.

Military officials said a lack of troops on the Afghan-Pakistan border allows al-Qaida operatives to file in.

As a marine, Bill Weissenbach worked with President Bill Clinton on presidential chopper duty.

"Having, um, almost daily interaction with the president for eight years, for, for a guy from small town America, it was overwhelming to say the least," Weissenbach said.

Weissenbach said success is highly dependent on troop levels.

"That ultimately relies on manpower," Weissenbach said. "Unfortunately, today, our manpower isn't maybe really where it needs to be."

Weissenbach hopes the lawmakers he votes for will do what's right for U.S. troops and the nation's security.