My husband is a Vietnam veteran and a patient at the local VA hospital here in Salisbury. He has always been treated with kindness, courtesy and compassion in a timely manner. We have no complaints about his treatment or his wait time for an appointment.
On the contrary, I attempted to get an appointment with my private gastroenterologist in early May and was told they couldn’t see me until late July. If it was an emergency, I was told to go to the emergency room.
I am on Medicare and not certain what, if anything, my insurance would pay for such a visit, so I stayed at home.
I’ve called private dentists in the past and had to wait three to four months for appointments, so we have our care set up on automatic six-month appointments now. It seems to me that long waits for appointments are a systemwide problem in America’s medical community.
We have absolutely no issues with the Hefner VA Medical Center and are very grateful and thankful for having this wonderful facility to take care of my husband’s medical needs. We thank all of the staff at this center for their obvious dedication to our nation’s veterans.
— Gail Gurley
Granite Quarry

Regarding a recent letter pushing for a gay parade in downtown Salisbury:
We don’t need to spend the extra money needed to patrol such an event.We don’t want our children to see grown men wearing diapers,jock straps and other perverted clothes, parading down the streets like Sodom and Gomorrha.
Our city is for families. Move back to New York, Boston or wherever you came from. We in the South will not change our Biblical views for 7 percent of the American population.
Why is a parade necessary? You got what you wanted — the destruction of marriage and the family. What else do you want to parade around about?
Do what you want in your homes, but don’t complain when the rest of the world doesn’t want to see it. Take your parades back to New York. If you want to make this your home, then respect other people’s views.
— Randy Smith
Salisbury