As a triple amputee, due to

my honorable and just military service in Vietnam, I freely tell all anti-whatever

demonstrators that I will gladly serve my country and die, if need be,

to insure their right to be able to disagree with me; but, that they need

to understand that their highly visible (and always embellished by all

news media outlets), anti-American, antimilitary and antiwar demonstrations

give aid and comfort to America's perceived and real enemies.

Our country has always been

tolerant and protective of this "anti" group, to the point that

the "anti" crowds are allowed to violate one of America's laws

18 USC, Sec. 2318, Part 1, Chapter 115, Treason. America's sons and daughters

serve in harm's way to help insure those free citizens left in America

can give aid and comfort to the enemy through protests, etc.

America has 283-plus million

citizens, with 1.4 million citizens serving in its armed forces. Simply

put, 282 Americans derive their freedoms (including acting out treason)

through one American willing to serve in their country's armed forces

and putting themselves in harm's way.

On a gravemarker in Arlington

National Cemetery is engraved, "Not for fame or fortune, not for

place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple

obedience to duty as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed

all, dared all, and died." All "anti" demonstrations increase

the number of their fellow Americans serving in harm's way who end up

covered by "... and died."

All of these "anti"

citizens could better serve their country and support our serving sons

and daughters by using their talent, energy and resources to:

1. Purchase phone cards so

the military and civilians can call home to their family and friends.

2. Make themselves available

to help take care of the family left behind errands, house, yard, activities,

meals, etc.

3. Become big brothers or big

sisters to the children with dads or moms off serving their country.

4. Volunteer in America's VA

and military hospitals.

5. Embrace and perpetuate the

idea that appeasement has always brought on disaster.

6. Enhance peace through strength.

7. Support America's leaders

that will allow for a quick and decisive victory, and thus reducing casualties

on both sides.

8. Start demonstrating in support

of our country's actions and its goals.

9. Be part of the "welcome

home victory" parades and public events to honor America's newest

set of heroes.

10. Be prepared and support

the next engagement involving America's sons and daughters.

11. Read and learn from history.

Someone once said, "War

is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded

state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth

war is much worse. A man who has nothing he cares about more than his

own personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being

free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

America's sons and daughters

from every generation of our history must always have the desire to live

out the Arlington gravemarker quote listed above, and all of our resources

(for and against any issue) must be used to insure they come home alive

and our country preserves all freedoms.

Freedom is not free, and General

Douglas McArthur summed up the feelings of all of America's armed forces

personnel when he said, "It is the soldier above all others who prays

for peace." War is coming! Let us join together in supporting our

sons and daughters serving in harm's way.

Tommy Clack

Conyers