Remembering Our Veterans—Individually

Dear Editor: As I sat down to write a newspaper article for Memorial Day, I wasn’t sure where to start. With recent news of our history, and in turn on our veterans, under assault by a casino at Gettysburg and Wal-Mart at The Wilderness, I wasn’t sure how to best honor our veterans for their sacrifices to this country. Inspiration, in part, came from May 2010 edition of WII History and your article on Corporal Bill Bowser of the 502nd PIR, 101st Airborne Division. My next door neighbor of 25 years was a member of the 101st 506 PIR and I heard many stories of training on Curahee and battling Nazis at D-Day, Market Garden, and Bastogne—especially the cold and how poorly equipped the 101st was as it was rushed into combat to help blunt the German offensive. So imagine my surprise when I turned to page 37 of Richard Beranty’s article to find the picture of my neighbor dragging in supplies at Bastogne after the clouds had cleared to allow airdrops of food, ammo, and other necessary supplies to bolster our men. My future neighbor was one of two nameless American GIs pictured. His name was missing, as is the case of far too many soldiers. Perhaps that is a way we can honor our vets by remembering them as individuals when the opportunity presents itself. In this case, the man on the left is Staff Sergeant Harold Anderson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 506 PIR. Brian Questel Wooster, Ohio Rebuttal: Felix Sparks at Dachau Gentlemen, Below is my rebutta