Veterans deserve special attention

To the editor:

On July, 22 I had an opportunity to attend the Living History Day at the Stars & Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Mo. Many of those attending were brave veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf wars.

As I talked to these veterans, I found they viewed themselves as ordinary people who live in extraordinary times. Hero was a term reserved to describe those who did not come home to their loved ones.

Some served voluntarily, while others were conscripted. Some had obvious disabilities. Some had hidden scars. Some are coping with service-connected diseases caused by exposure to Agent Orange. But none was bitter.

As citizens, I believe we have the responsibility to demand that our elected representatives use our armed forces sparingly and only send them in harm's way when justified beyond a reasonable doubt. And when we do, we should give our brave men and women the care they need and the opportunities they deserve. Lastly, we must never give up the search for those persons or souls who never returned from the battlefield.

RANDY SPANE, Chaffee, Mo.