To the editor:
I don’t blame the Marine veteran in Little Compton. His letter [Nov. 15, p6] expressed dismay that our Commander-in-Chief, while in France to commemorate Armistice Day, had to …
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To the editor:
I don’t blame the Marine veteran in Little Compton. His letter [Nov. 15, p6] expressed dismay that our Commander-in-Chief, while in France to commemorate Armistice Day, had to forego a visit to the American World War I cemetery in Aisne-Marne. As a life member of the VFW, I, too, was a bit saddened.
But I do blame the national reporters who implied it was the President who cancelled his side trip because of a little rainstorm. They once again neglected to provide relevant details of the 3,800-mile trans-Atlantic journey.
The storm was severe enough for the DoD—not the White House—to scrub plans to fly the Marine One helicopter for that 110-mile round trip from Paris. As a former USAF flyer I know that, sometimes, weather demands a no-go. Alternatively, the Secret Service might have concocted a last-minute secure drive. But the gridlock associated with a head-of-state motorcade would have caused even more French animosity toward our country. Not to mention clobbering the rest of the weekend’s schedule.
Joe Jablonowski
Bristol