Nightline and Doonesbury and Proper Memorials

It is Memorial Day and yesterday the comic strip Doonesbury printed a list of names of the soldiers who have died in the current U.S. invasion of Iraq. Tonight, on the ABC television program Nightline, the entire program will consist of the reading of the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since last Memorial Day. These so-called "memorials" are actually political statements to show opposition to the "war" in Iraq and Afghanistan and it is a shame that such statements are being made in the guise of paying tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

If Garry Trudeau and Ted Koppel wanted to pay tribute to the "fallen", they should have included the names of Capt. Arthur G. Bonifas and Lt. Mark T. Barrett among those they listed. They were shot and killed on August 18, 1976, on the Korean Demilitarized Zone, while attempting to trim back the branches of a tree that was blocking the view from a U.N. guard post. They should have included the name of Cpl Terry W. Abbot and the 240 other U.S. Marines who were killed on October 23, 1983 by a terrorist bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. They should have included the name of Air Force TSgt Joel C. Mayo and the seven other U.S. servicemembers who died at a nameless spot in the Iranian desert on April 26, 1980 during the failed attempt to rescue the U.S. hostages in Iran. They should have even included the name of Capt Dean Martin Jr. who died in the crash of his fighter jet while on a routine training mission on March 21, 1987.

Today is the day that we pay tribute and honor all, repeat ALL of the men and women who died defending our nation. It is not a day to be making political statements against or for positions taken by the current administration and those who use it for such should be ashamed.