I found offensive the recent letter comparing veterans' service to their country to the work of a trash collector or a teacher ("Veterans not alone in deserving tax breaks," Feb. 16). I am a retired military man. I served in combat during the Vietnam War. I also served almost 10 years overseas. I got shot at and lost friends to hostile fire.
I and thousands of other veterans spent countless 12-hour shifts and weekends and holidays on duty while civilians slept in a safe environment. We did not get overtime or comp time, this was our job and we did it proudly. Teachers and even garbage collectors get paid more then most military personnel, except for officers. They also have unions and earn extra for the extra hours worked. They get comp time and time-and-a-half and a lot of other benefits the veteran never will receive.
When you retire from the military, you have to buy your own medical and dental insurance. It is not given to you for free. You were not assigned to most duty stations long enough to buy a home. Your kids changed schools and your spouses could not stay with one company long enough to retire from them.
I agree that firefighters and police could use a break. They do have jobs that are in harm's way. But no one with the slightest idea of what military personnel or their families go through would ever compare them to a trash collector or a teacher. How many trash collectors have died from rodent bites compared to combat deaths from hostile fire?
I suggest that the letter writer enlist and walk in our shoes or just take a day long trip to Arlington and read the names and realize the sacrifices.
Jim Hironimus