John McCain

Re “ ‘Wrong Guys’ Won War, McCain Tells His Stunned Vietnamese Hosts,” April 29: I cannot imagine why the Vietnamese were “stunned” by Sen. John McCain’s remarks. He was simply stating a known fact. Their best and brightest left by boat and have done remarkably well here in the U.S. The executed ones are gone forever, and the re-educated ones probably had no bright future there. Hanoi can state that prisoners were treated humanely, but the free world knows that they were not.

The U.S. government should never have interfered over there, costing us thousands of young lives. But it did and we did.

DORIS WATERMAN

Marina del Rey

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McCain’s assumption that war can be won or lost is scary, especially given his recent rise in U.S. politics. Hasn’t it been made evident from the research surrounding wars throughout history that there are never any clear-cut winners or losers? As long as those within power continue to share the assumption that wars can be won or lost, we will continue to maintain the ignorant threat of war throughout the world. Once we begin to question McCain’s highly generalized and archaic understanding of bloodshed, we can move toward preventing wars instead of choosing winners.

MIKE GHARABIKLOU

Westwood

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McCain’s insensitive remarks reinforce my belief that he is an out-of-control, in-your-face, shoot-from-the-hip extremist who sometimes wears the disguise of a moderate. The thought of this man as head of the world’s foremost nuclear power is scary.

BOB CONSTANTINE

Placentia

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In 1973-1974 we were called to assist the pull-outs from Vietnam and Cambodia. During my tour in the U.S. Navy I saw many refugees. I later learned that, while we were on station, the killing fields were taking place and we did nothing to stop Pol Pot. The U.S. pledged after Hitler that we would not allow another Holocaust to ever exist. I would say that Cambodia was a broken pledge.

We must never forget the pain of our POWs/MIAs. I thank McCain for not allowing us to forget the sacrifices of our veterans. The 58,000 names on the wall are not just numbers, but each is a name, a life and a reflection of a lesson that can’t be bought or sold.

DANIEL MARTINEZ

Alhambra

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What a wonderful photograph of McCain, on tour in Vietnam as a guest of that government, scolding a young child for begging (April 28). What a graceless, rude and boorish act by somebody who should know better. Bob Hope is quoted as stating: “If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.”

MIKE MANNING

Valley Glen

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Publishing the smiling faces of Communist youth waving the Viet Cong flag in celebration is a tragedy for all Southern Californians (photo, April 30). The idea that our paper should support the troops that are responsible for the death of 58,000 U.S. troops is unconscionable. I won’t even get into the fact that the Vietnamese government has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of its own people or that communism is responsible for the deaths of millions in Southeast Asia. How you would like to open this paper on this morning if you had lost a son at the hands of the Viet Cong?

JOHN DIETZ

Upland