It is not necessary to win a war for a veteran to find honor in serving in one. These days, I hear many people saying we have to win in Iraq, or else those who died, or have been injured, will have done so in vain. I don’t think so.

We never lost a battle in Vietnam, but we had to withdraw, because of the lack of civilians willing to be drafted and serve their country in that war.

Many, like I, were convinced that somehow we had done something immoral. Perhaps I did not want to be a soldier, or trying to kill people was not to my nature, or maybe I was angry and jealous of most of my peer group who were able to get draft exemptions.

Since that time, I have aged, gone to the VA for help and receive a pension. I even marched in a parade, holding the American flag. That helped a lot.

I realize my service was an attempt to satisfy the desires of the law of the American people, a desire to act macho, to gain respect and to “do the right thing” (as in the movie by Spike Lee, where sometimes it is very hard to find out what the right thing to do is). I did not want to dishonor myself by resisting the draft and serving in prison.

Was my service in Vietnam in vain? Were those who served in both the Union and Confederate armies in vain, despite the fact that one of them lost? Were the German and Japanese combatants in World War II serving in vain, or were they, also, trying to do the right thing?

Perhaps it is not necessary for the generals to achieve their objectives in order for us common folk to do the right thing.

Roger Stavitz

Danforth