Anna Roth’s July 25 letter to the editor, “The opportunity cost of military service,” detailed what Stanford graduates lose out on when they choose to join the military. I would like to add some insight from a much longer perspective.
I graduated from Cornell in May 1968 and lost my 2-S deferment the same month as George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. I began doctoral studies in aerospace and mechanical sciences at Princeton that September. Like many of my healthy, handsome U.S. citizen friends on campus, especially those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, I didn’t last long.
If you acted quickly after your letter from Uncle Sam, you could enlist in one of the other branches. So, I joined the Air Force and got a full year of management and leadership training followed by two years serving in the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews. When I got out, I used the GI Bill to complete my studies.
Fifty years later, I still give talks about my Air Force experience to service clubs, university classes and retirement communities. Plus, I get a great veteran’s discount at Lowe’s and Home Depot. My advice to Roth is to learn to drive a tank or jump out of a C-17 while you are serving in the Army so that you will have stories to tell your grandchildren. Meanwhile, your Stanford classmates will probably be looking for their second or third new positions about the time you finish proudly serving your country.
Robert J. Ribando, Charlottesville
The duty to speak up
I am a West Point graduate, retired colonel in the U.S. Army and docent at the home of Gen. George C. Marshall. So I read the July 26 front-page article “Testing the military’s tolerance for criticism” with great interest.
It seems to me, based on years of observation, that the military must have officers unafraid to speak truth to power. For example, at Marshall’s house, we regularly cite two cases when he did so, and in both cases rather than being punished, he was rewarded.
First, during World War I, as a junior officer he spoke up to Gen. John Pershing after the general harshly criticized Marshall’s unit. Marshall noted that Pershing’s staff was inadequately supporting the unit, and thus partially responsible for the poor performance. Marshall’s peers thought he was done for, but instead, Pershing brought Marshall to his staff and then made him his personal aide.
And at the onset of World War II, Marshall attended a meeting held by President Franklin D. Roosevelt where the commander in chief proposed that the United States build and ship tens of thousands of planes to England. Marshall disagreed. He believed that the U.S. needed to retain some of the planes to train its own pilots. Again, those present thought Marshall’s career was over. Not so. Not long after, Roosevelt chose Marshall to become the new chief of staff of the Army. And today, Marshall is considered one of America’s greatest soldiers and statesmen.
The bottom line: Military officers must not be afraid to speak up. In fact, they have a duty to do so. But once a legal decision is made, even if it is contrary to their judgment, officers are duty bound to follow the orders or resign.
Richard Rhoades, Ashburn
More room for George Catlin
I am saving my Arts and Style section of the July 26 paper because of the feature “The 25 Most Influential Works of American Culture.” I used to regularly visit the Renwick Gallery because the second floor displayed so many of George Catlin’s Indian Gallery works, which are now in the American Art Museum’s collection. But as Fritz Hahn noted, “Only a fraction of them are currently on display.” That made me wonder why a room isn’t dedicated to the artist’s documentation of Native American life that portrays “them as fellow human beings.”
Perhaps it is because W. Richard West, the founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian, said Catlin was a “crass huckster trading on other people’s lives and lifeways.” But isn’t there some place in D.C. that will showcase more of Catlin’s remarkable contribution to art and history?
Kathy A. Megyeri, Washington
Let visitors help improve the Smithsonian
Regarding the July 27 Metro article “Calls for revision at National Museum”:
The Smithsonian should ask visitors to report any inaccuracies. It could post notices inside each museum entrance with feedback forms requesting visitors to note issues they find.
Mike Domeniconi, Santa Clara, California
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