Letters: Jun. 18, 1984

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I was born 14 years after Dday. My father told me stories about his Army stint, which included only the barest facts about the landing on Omaha Beach. He never mentioned the horrors. Now, two years after his death, I am proud to know, thanks to your story, that my father and his buddies were all heroes that day.

Kathryn Orndorff-Tauber Harrison City, Pa.

I am 17 years old and German. When I read of the two 17-year-old Germans who had bicycled for three weeks to get to the front line and were then taken prisoner, a deep sadness came over me. I realized that if I had lived 40 years ago, it could have been me. How can my generation be assured that the horrors of World War II will never happen again, when half the world lives under a totalitarian ideology and the U.S. is drawn closer and closer to a conflict with the supporters of these doctrines in Central America?

Ulf Morys Kent, Wash.

I was a child of seven living in the south of England in 1944. Your article brought back memories of truckloads of smiling G.I.s who gave us precious bars of chocolate as well as our first taste of chewing gum. America's sacrifice will be remembered and its G.I.s never forgotten.

Clare Howard Worthing, England

You say, "The morals of sacrifice, so clear then, are more confusing now." This statement reminds me how we have advanced in the technology of annihilation. Engaging in battles, once thought glorious, is now considered an obscenity. I am reminded of the words of an old hymn, "Time makes ancient good uncouth."

(The Rev.) Vernon A. Victor son Our Saviour Lutheran Church Utica, N. Y.

Who will be left to remember the next Dday?

Ernest L. Hughes Seattle

Philippines Ballot

The results of the Philippines election [WORLD, May 28] were a reflection of the sentiments of our people: a triumph for the democratic process and ideals. By dying for his country, Ninoy Aquino accomplished what he might not have been able to do while alive.

Teresito P. Ocampo Manila

Somebody should remind President Ferdinand Marcos of this quote from Cato the Elder: "I would rather have men ask, after I am dead, why I have no monument than ask why I have one."

Anthony Rosales Cebu City, Philippines

It has taken the U.S. 18 years to discover what most Filipinos know: the Marcos dictatorship is filled with cruelties. Without American assistance, the government would have fallen long ago. America's belated awakening to Marcos' tyranny is a poignant testimony to the insensitivity that underlies American policy in this region.

Bernard Fong Hong Kong

Peripatetic Conductors