Evening star., 1946-04-30
Letters to The Star
Readers Disagree With Article
About Arlington Monuments


To the Editor of The Star:
Nelson Shepard and your newspaper
contributed nothing toward better
understanding between Americans in
your front-page blurb of Sunday
April %.
Would you recommend immediate re-
duction in size for the offending larger
monuments or an immediate increase in
proportion of the smaller ones now
extant in this Government owned cem-
etery? Would a general rearrangement
Of the graves of those who are beyond
the influence of The Star tend to
promote more neighborly understand
ing among the living?
Is there, considering the harm this
article will accomplish, any justification
for printing it?
Could not The Star with its reputation
for conservatism have found better
approach to what is by inference stated
to be its desire to see more uniformity
in space assignment and markers for
the graves of those expected to be re-
turned to the United States under pend
ing legislation?
Let's have an end of chea p offerings
which play upon sympathy and mis-
understanding to- encourage the very
cleavages which we all owe it to our
selves and to the future of the country
to be vigilant to prevent
V. E. STACK.
To the Editor Of The Star:
The writer of this letter is a soldiers
daughter. My father served as an officer
in the Civil War. One brother died in
World War I. Two sons served in World
War both officers.
My son is buried in Arlington. After
two years, his body was returned from
France. His father also served in the
Spanish War and died from illness con-
tracted In that war. My son, an officer,
had small Government stone over his
grave at first. I had it replaced with
one OF the larger monuments shown
in The Star-not because I thought it
was not good enough or to distinguish
his grave from the graves of enlisted
men; Oh no! Many fine men lie buried
under the small Government markers.
My years are numbered. I won't be
able to go over to Arlington much longer
to sit and pray beside that dear good
sons grave. When I cannot go any
more, 1 will be connforted in the
knowledge that people will know I did
not forget.
Why did your writer bring up that
subject now? Is it to discourage our
men and boys, SO that they won't want
to enlist? Don't you know that the
large monuments are not paid for by
the Government, but in most cases by
parents OR other relatives or by men
who wish to honor dearly loved officers
under whom they have served?
AN OLD ARMY WOMAN.
To the Editor of The Star:
l have just read your remarkable
ar, scle on the Military Caste system
whic. exists in the national cemeteries
among our honored dead I have at
tempted % fathom the significance of
such an a.ticle. Whatever your inten-
tlons may have been, the resultant effect
is certainly to, discredt leadership.
The one obs. nus fact that we NAV
deduce from the rutcome of this war is
that the LEADERSHIP of the American
Army was directly sponsible in giving
US victory. The appalling lack in mill
tary preparedness made it necessary for
the entire Nation to lean entirely on its
few military leaders its professional
| Army ofheers) to bring hope and victory
out OF chaos. 1t has been the tradition
OF the officer corps to accomplish this
miraculous mission many times during
the past $50 years of American history
| Their privileges have been little. but
regardless of what they have been. they
have accepted the responsibilities as
well as the privileges. Only when the
responsibilities are neglected should the
privileges be denied. If this country is
to survive as a free Nation, leadership
must be encouraged. Your article GER
tainly fails to encourage that leadership
A U. S. COLONEL.