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Dear Editor,
My husband Larry and I read with great interest Cory Smith’s excellent coverage of the June 14 “No Kings” rally in Greenville’s Veterans Park
We can speak with some authority about veterans, as many of our family members have served in the military. My great-uncle Ed was injured in a German poison gas attack in France during World War I. In World War II. Larry’s Uncle Harold Engel and his buddy Leo “Red” Gavitt enlisted in the Navy on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. Harold’s wife, Ruby Marvin Engel, served in the WACs. A photo of the gorgeous Ruby operating a rivet gun was used extensively in World War II WAC recruiting.
Fast forward to the next generation; Larry, his brother Rex, and all of their male cousins served in either the Army or Navy. In addition, cousin Marlene Engel, not to be outdone, joined the WACs. Three of our relatives who opted to join other military branches were my cousin, Howard Hopkins, who served in the Air Force; Cousin Tom Engel, who joined the Marines; and (skipping a few generations) our nephew, Jason Fishell, who also chose the Marines. Most of our loved ones did not come under enemy fire while serving. However, one of the cousins saw a great deal of action in Vietnam and, unfortunately, has been adversely affected by post-traumatic issues ever since.
I cannot canvass each of our relatives to obtain their opinions about the June 14 protest, as many of them are deceased. I can, however, tell you how Larry and I feel about it. We cannot fathom why a pseudo coup is being conducted against a President who won election (not coronation) by several million popular votes. He is merely keeping the promises he made during his campaign. The keeping of pre-election promises is highly unusual in any politician and should be commended, not censured.
We have one final observation to make about the “No Kings” event. Since the formation of George Washington’s ragtag army in 1775, a strong military has ensured that we are governed, never ruled. The fact that a group styling itself as Citizens to Save Democracy chose to protest legal actions of a duly elected president in a park honoring veterans on the very weekend that the Army was celebrating its 250th birthday was especially inappropriate, distasteful and disgusting. But, maybe that was the whole point.
Laura J. Engel
Stanton
