I always thought that editorial pages were reserved for hard-hitting, in-your-face commentary. I was surprised when I came across a Rex Rhoades column (Sept. 30) that read like a cross between a historic and romantic novel.

Does anyone believe that Rhoades “spent the first two decades of my life immersed in this war”? I don’t know about anyone else, but between birth and 14 years, I was learning basic life functions, getting an educational foundation, playing with friends and trying to impress the opposite sex. Who had time to worry about Vietnam?

His description of the Iwo Jima Memorial as “something that glorifies war” shows an opinion formed out of ignorance. While the memorial recognizes those who fought on Iwo Jima, it also recognizes the service and sacrifice of all military personnel, white, black, red, yellow, gentile or Jew, who participated in World War II. The inscription, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue,” speaks not to glory, but sacrifices that these men and women made for their comrades.

The only people who find glory in war are schoolchildren and those who have never experienced it.

Rhoades appears more interested in readers cherishing the artists who create those monuments than those who they were created to honor.

Finally, he asks, “Why is it our country always seems so ready – even eager – to wade into the blood and sacrifice of our young?” The answer was found on the PBS series, “The War.”

Robert E. Macdonald, Lewiston