Ex-Flier’s Search for Lost Comrades

I think I know some of the feeling of Jose Holguin, the man who brought the bodies of his lost comrades back from the South Pacific (Valley Edition, March 6). I speak as a combat vet of the 4th Infantry Division in Europe in World War II.

I was in Europe in 1984. I was at Normandy when President Reagan and all the rest were there. I was a visitor to the cemetery in Luxembourg. I was at Bastogne the day the king and queen of Belgium laid a 40th anniversary wreath there. I was at Anzio on Memorial Day.

Normandy was the only one that was planned; the rest just happened. But, make no mistake about it: When you walk down the row upon row of white crosses, the tears begin to flow. You realize how lucky you were, how unlucky they were.

It was very hard at Normandy. It seemed that about half of them were from 8th Infantry, 4th Division. Our casualties were very heavy on D-Day, and D-Day plus, for quite a few weeks. The tears really flow when you see all of that, and you keep saying to yourself, “Why Me?” I suspect that is how Jose feels: “Why Me?”

LOUIS L. MONTHAVEN

Burbank Family Planning, Sam the Handyman

Dean Murphy’s coverage of the Family Planning Center protest (March 2) was brilliant: a comprehensive, accurate, unbiased account of a very sensitive topical issue.

Al Martinez, the Chatsworth MCP, has finally found his niche. His stories on Sam the handyman and the McDonald’s knockdown were superb.

Finally, a special thanks to the genius who conceived of and the committee that laboriously pondered and finally approved of the idea of a daily Valley section.

We luv it, fer shure!

BONNI M. WEINSTEIN

Sherman Oaks Violence in American Society

Al Martinez’s column of March 4, “The Result of a Punch in the Face” deserves some comment. While I have no argument with his thesis in regard to quantity of violence in American society, his comments and implied criticism of self-defense are opinions which are refutable by a substantial body of evidence. Incidentally, he has his historical facts wrong.

Mr. Martinez says “ . . . we’ve always been a violent society.” I recommend to him a recent study, “Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier,” by UCLA professor of history Roger D. McGrath. To quote from his conclusions, “ . . . the violence and lawlessness of the trans-Sierra bear little relation to the violence and lawlessness that pervade American society today. . . . There is little justification for blaming contemporary American violence on our frontier heritage.”

As for the “kids” shot on the New York subway, all have lengthy arrest records for violent behavior and one is currently under indictment for 10 new charges and yet is free to roam the subways in pursuit of money.

Mr. Martinez makes an implicit link between self-defense, the right to bear arms and assassination. I refer him here to an econometric study of gun control and violent crime by assistant professor Joseph P. Magaddino of California State University, Long Beach, then at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The relevant conclusion is that “ . . . in view of the cost of gun control, it does not appear that control has any significant positive returns.”

Mr. Martinez’s friends, who were assaulted in their own home, probably would not have had to deal with the physical and mental trauma they suffer with now, had they the means with which to defend themselves then. Does Mr. Martinez think that, if we take away the means to defend themselves, especially from women and the disabled, the problem will go away? His friends are living proof, both fortunately and unfortunately, that this is not true. Violence is a sociological problem that is not amenable to simple solutions.

Miss Ewing said to Mr. Martinez in response to his question about guns, “If we don’t have guns, criminals will.” Mr. Martinez replies, “Oh, my God.” Oh, my God is right, for criminals already have guns, and removing them from our hands leaves us defenseless, for the courts have ruled that the police have no duty to protect the individual. We’re on our own.

LEE F. MELLINGER

Van Nuys