An American Veteran -- on Decent Treatment for Veterans vs. War Memorials

 We've been sharing lately on this site the wonderful writing of Eddie Livingston, World War II veteran, former P.O.W., whose life after war was one long, unrewarded struggle, taking place far away from the concerned glances or compassionate inquiry of his fellow citizens, or even the government he served in war. His niece, Pam Baker, with whom he lived right before he died, has been bringing some of his writings to light, as they touch the heart of others who understand how representative Eddie was of many veterans who slip beneath the cracks, and fall away from any social safety net. Here is a crisp letter to the editor Eddie wrote a paper in Danville, Calif., where he lived before he died, on how veterans would like to be treated...and commemorated. It's almost Biblical in its straightforwardness and emphasis on binding up the wounds of the brokenhearted and neglected.