Thanks, Kansas City, for the warm welcome you gave us Honor Flight Vietnam veterans | Opinion
Felt the honor
I wish to thank all the hundreds of Kansas City residents who took the time to fill the Kansas City International Airport terminal honoring us veterans as we returned on a recent Honor Flight from Washington, D.C.
In 1969, I returned from Vietnam, landing in Seattle. As I stepped off the plane, many kids booed us as we entered the terminal. I remember feeling embarrassed to wear my military uniform, and prepared to defend myself had any of those miscreants touched me. Thank goodness they didn’t go that far, and I avoided jail time.
I headed to town to buy civilian clothes and threw my uniform in the trash. For the next 30 years, I seldom acknowledged my military service. Few Americans, including many of my friends, had a clue about what Vietnam vets endured. Quite simply, the war was a memory we wished to erase from our minds. From physical injuries to PTSD, we had no time whine. We had to move on.
Now, some 54 years later, our country finally acknowledges our service and we veterans can be proud. We thank Kansas City for the recognition.
- R.W. (Dick) Miller, Topeka
Go Chaminade
As a proud two-time Chaminade University of Honolulu graduate, I want to thank you for your article about our basketball coach, Eric Bovaird, and the Maui Invitational. (Nov. 19, KansasCity.com, “Chaminade defeated No. 1 Virginia in 1982. Can Swords repeat the feat vs. KU in 2023?”)
He has been a wonderful coach, and we are lucky to have him. I have so many amazing memories of going to the Maui Invitational with my parents when my mom was a professor at Chaminade. I have also been blessed to go with my husband in 2005 and 2019. It is wonderful to be so close to the action, and I am grateful for the air conditioning that the arena didn’t have when I was child. You also get opportunities to meet the players, coaches and announcers that you don’t normally get.
Also, thank you for highlighting the auction for Maui fires. It is a great cause. We were lucky to have visited Maui in February and spent time in Lahaina before the devastation.
- Beth Grelinger, Liberty
Special treatment
I watched a recent episode of “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” and his guest, attorney Andrew Weissmann — who is usually cool and calm — got angry. He was livid that Donald Trump’s lawyers are claiming that the partial gag order in his New York fraud trial would limit Trump’s political speech.
So threatening the judge, the court staff, election officials and their families is now justified as political speech?
Far from being treated like anyone else in his position, it seems Trump is being treated with kid gloves. Why should he get away with threatening people like this?
And even more, why on Earth would anyone think he should be president?
- Louise Bannister, Lansing
Wrong target
Alleged Olathe East High School shooter Jaylon Elmore’s situation is tragic. Whoever gave a suicidal teenager a gun should be brought up on criminal charges. (Nov. 16, 11A, “Olathe East shooting suspect Jaylon Elmore is not a monster”) Elmore should have been in therapy and given help to deal with bullying, not given a gun.
Whoever gave him that gun put him in a situation where he was shot and is facing 25 years in prison. I don’t think Elmore is the one who should be facing charges.
- Penny Zadeh, Overland Park
Look ahead
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter shared a life dedicated to the less fortunate. Their honest and humble work, both before and after their time in the White House, leaves a remarkable legacy.
As 2024 approaches, my hope is that we thoughtfully and wisely consider what legacy we hope our next elected officials leave for us and future generations and then vote accordingly.
- Cathy Eads, Lenexa
