Never before did I understand how large the differences were between generations. There is no gap - there is a chasm. Being a senior of 73 and married to a 75-year-old veteran of WWII, I felt I needed to answer Michael Lauri's article written for his global history class (In the May 25 edition of the Plainview Herald).

His perception of our war and boys in the armed forces during WWII is so flawed. I wonder if he has taken the time to talk to veterans of that war. His soldier's question was "We loved the US, but for some reason I felt as if I was being used. What exactly did I have to fight for? Why were we doing this?... Of course now looking back, I realize that none of what we were doing that day was worth one life or 3,000 lives."

Draftees and enlisted men all knew why they did it. They did it for you! I don't recall one service man of that era feeling used. What they felt was an obligation to fight for our way of life and our values. Neither Japan nor Germany had honorable goals. What do you think your life would have been like if they had won?

I wonder also how many 10th-grade students will be in attendance at the Memorial Day Parade. I have lived in Plainview for 48 years and the attendance at the parade is pathetic compared to the ones my children and I watched 30 years ago. The turnout then exceeded any I have seen for a long time now. I do hope I am proved wrong.

Children - salute the flag when it passes and say a prayer for all those souls who knew why they fought and gave their efforts for you and me.

Hazel Moran