Military sacrifice reason for free press

I wish to second the Sept. 18 Fence Post letter by Patricia Wyllie in which she points out the deplorable treatment of news items concerning our soldiers and Marines by the Daily Herald.

Doesn't the staff of the Daily Herald realize that they only enjoy freedom of the press because of the sacrifices made by our military men and women over the years? When one our brave fighting men or women makes the supreme sacrifice for our country, it deserves to be front page news, not relegated to back pages. The Daily Herald should be ashamed of itself for this indefensible choice.

Rev. Dennis Edward O'Brian, U.S. Marine Corps chaplin, wrote: "It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Tom Benton

Naperville