As I traveled around Bangor and Brewer recently, I noticed that the American flag was at half-staff.

Was it for my father, a World War II veteran who passed away March 2? Could it have been for my uncle who was killed on a destroyer in World War II or perhaps for a sweet woman and World War II veteran, Florence Yoder, who died March 5? Yoder was stationed in the Battle of the Bulge.

The answer to all of those questions is, of course, no.

While I support the idea of honoring veterans in this way, in my mind it says that my friends and loved ones didn’t matter quite as much. In fact, it diminishes them and the role they played in World War II.

If I pass on while John Baldacci is still governor, will he order that the flag be flown at half-staff? After all, I served my country for 26 years along with a whole generation of baby-boomer veterans.

Of course not. Why not?

David E. Winslow

Brewer