November 28th Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

In response to a letter written by Christopher Wu, I would like to clarify a few things. Paying tribute to veterans who died in Vietnam is not hero worship. We must allow ourselves to reflect on this period of service. When soldiers returned home from the Vietnam War, most of them were not welcomed. They were spit on, called “baby killers” and many other hurtful remarks. But in the end, they still made it home. For those who we observed in remembrance, we are simply recognizing the sacrifice they made on Veterans Day. It was not a “gross failure of symbolism and remembrance”. I remember the fellow soldiers who fought beside me but did not return home. Sergeant Burkhardt. Private First Class Buryj. PFC Huff. They are my friends. They are my sisters. They are my brothers. That is not worship. It is something much more powerful. I call it love and love never fails.

—Eric Ballentine