Of heroes, patriots and the wars they fight for us

Of heroes, patriots and the wars they fight for us
EDITOR:
In response to the "How He Sees It" column by Paul Schroeder on Jan. 5, I first would like to say that I am sorry for your great loss. Nothing that anyone can say or do will bring your son back, and for that I feel for you. I am a U.S. sailor stationed overseas who has been in the Middle East since the beginning of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. I have been deployed with troops who have seen things beyond most what people who live at home could ever imagine.
However, I disagree when you said that the words "hero" and "patriot" are words that focus on death (and not life). I for one consider myself somewhat of a hero for the things I have done as a serviceman since the war has started. I have an uncle who served multiple tours in Vietnam and was awarded multiple Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, and I am probably not alone when saying I consider him a hero -- and he is alive as well. I have a grandfather who was a medic in WWII who is still alive, and is a hero. My stepgrandfather served honorably in Korea, and is alive and a hero.
In my opinion, being a hero means that you volunteer to do something that most others would not have the courage to do. Whether that means jumping out of an airplane, jumping into a burning building, or something else that our military or police and firemen and women do on a daily basis, the term hero can be applicable to the life of someone, not just death.
All of these people, as well as anyone who loves his country, is a patriot as well. I would not have joined the Navy if I were not a patriot.
The second thing I disagree with you about is the fact that the opposition to this war is "whispered. & quot; I watch the national news on the Armed Forces Network, and it shows a mix of the major national news outlets -- CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc. -- therefore I see many of the same news reports you do in the states. With the exception of a conservative leaning Fox News Channel, most of the media in the United States including news (channels and reporters, and especially anchors), entertainers (actors, talk show hosts, etc.), and periodicals (newspapers and magazines) are liberal -- and criticize both the president and the reasons why we are in this war. I hear many more reasons why we shouldn't be there, or shouldn't have gone there, or why we should bring everyone home than I hear that we made the right choice in sending our troops there and they are doing what needs to be done.
Finally, I must say that I also disagree with you that your son or more than 2,000 others who lost their lives have died in vain. While we see all of the negative things happening in Iraq daily, we don't see what has happened that has been good. While we see suicide bombing reports, we don't see how the Middle East has been stabilized since Saddam fell. We fail to realize that the results from this war will not be truly felt for years to come. Positive results from war are never felt immediately.
America is not hiding behind a flag draped mask of any kind. America is paying homage to the people who have passed on protecting the ideals that make us strong. Please take the comments of your son being a hero and a patriot not with a grain of salt, but with an abundance of pride.
FC1(SW) Rick Possert
U.S. Navy
X The writer is a Hubbard native who joined the Navy in 1994 and reads The Vindicator on-line.
Politicians love prisons
EDITOR:
A Jan. 1 letter asked why it took so long to execute a killer in California and why Danny Hill is still alive. Well, the answer is because the attorneys, the judges, our governors, our senators and our congressmen would rather keep them in prisons, wasting taxpayers' money. All of them get rich by keeping them there. The longer the prisoners are there, the more money the politicians make. They're bigger thieves then the ones in prisons.
As for Danny Hill, they're saying he is retarded and should not be executed, but the truth is he's smarter than his attorneys. He sure knows how to write objections and file petitions with the courts and ask for new attorneys. Plus, he's a good actor. Anyone who can do the things he does is not retarded.
PHYLLIS STRONG
Struthers