My dad proudly completed Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island in 1921. David Freeze did an outstanding job reporting his, other journalists’ and educators’ actual one week experiences to your readers.
Ominously, Obama is hollowing out our military. The Marine Corps will lose 8,000. Army active-duty is being cut by at least 70,000. The U.S. Coast Guard is losing 1,100-plus and one-third of its fleet. Air Force cuts will probably include deactivating the critical North Carolina 440th Airlift Wing and hundreds of support aircraft and thousands of personnel. The Navy will “mothball” one aircraft carrier, demobilize one air wing and cancel plans to purchase a nuclear submarine, three destroyers, three supply ships and a floating staging base. The March 2 “Stars & Stripes” headlined “Gay, lesbian troops perform in drag at Kadena (Okinawa) Air Base.” The Fort Hood massacre is still referred to by the Obama administration as “workplace violence” instead of an Islamist terror attack. Obama policy is the recipe for U.S. disaster. How is that “hope and change” working out? Change course, America!
— Howell Lee Davis
Salisbury

I don’t usually speak out about things of which I am not familiar but on the editorial page last Wednesday I saw the column “Disturbing news about soldier suicides.” I can understand how many soldiers have carried the scars of wars forever after and some cannot live with the memories. My heart goes out to them and their families.
However, when I saw that a $65 million research study is to be done, I felt a little sick. How can that be financed with our economy as it is … people out of work, military bases being downsized or closed, some veteran benefits being denied? Maybe if this $65 million were divided between our veterans, they could have some of their personal needs met and less reasons to commit suicide.
How can we stop money from being used for studies like this? Thank God for our soldiers!
— Linda Beck
Woodleaf

Congratulations to basketball Coach Andrew Mitchell and the North Rowan Cavaliers. They have a good coach and players who practice really hard.
Go, Cavaliers.
— Ben Wood
Salisbury