Reagan Paid His Dues in World War II

I have never before written a letter to the editor, but the one from R. A. Lee has forced me to respond.

While Reagan was safely at home (stateside) doing his military service, I was serving with George S. Patton in the 3rd Army. From Europe I was shipped directly to Okinawa to serve there (June to November, 1945).

Frankly, I have been frightened by the realization that a man like Reagan, who never saw his comrades blown to bits, or saw the horrors committed by the Nazi SS troops, is the one with his hand on the atomic button.

I, personally, was grateful for the atomic bomb, which probably saved my life. (It was estimated that one-third of the nearly 3 million men being staged for the invasion of Japan would die.)

It’s also ironic that on April 9, 1945, when Reagan was being discharged, I arrived in San Diego to find my wife dead, and my career wiped out, along with debts it took me seven years to pay off, and an infant son to rear alone.

It is for that son (who, incidentally is a Vietnam veteran) and my 3-year-old grandson I am most concerned. Reagan has displayed unprecedented lack of understanding and sensitivity to the real world.

His first action as President was to take away the one and only benefit (privilege) my son and I asked of our country: the right to be buried free in a veteran’s cemetery. His most recent trip to Bitburg for political expediency displayed that ignorance of the real world.

Finally, it was both interesting and ironic that all the other movie personalities Lee mentioned in his letter saw military service where the bullets were flying in anger, and not safely on some movie back lot.

I don’t for one minute blame Reagan for serving as he did. He simply obeyed his orders, as we all did, and went where he was ordered. However, that service of Reagan’s gave him a movie (un-real) version of the world and particularly the horrors of war. In the movies the soldier dies many times; but in real war it is once only.

DAVID W. EVANS

Harbor City