I was watching the recent parade in Medway of Maine hero Bradford Borland on the news a week ago and noticed the so-called “hero” seemed bewildered why he was there and so was I. I’m afraid I don’t understand the word hero as it’s used in these times. The people of this country must feel the need to redeem themselves from the horrible way that Korean and Vietnam war veterans have been treated in the past and today.

I believe anyone who has made the sacrifice for this country under gruesome and life-threatening conditions is a hero, not someone who sat on a plane while safely brought down. These people were not treated badly by the Chinese, in fact they had it quite good. They were able to stay in officers quarters, had hot showers, had their meals, were not tortured or mistreated in any manner, nor were they prisoners. They were treated with total respect. How can anyone who has virtues call these people heroes?

Evidently any incident, regardless of the nature, automatically will make a national hero. Where were all these flag-waving, supportive people when I and thousands of others like me stepped off a plane from a place of real danger, where it was kill or be killed, not a battle of words? Where were they when I was told by the local VFW lodge in Old Town that I wasn’t welcomed because of the war I was in?

Alan Thibodeau

Glenburn