Your story "The Art of Healing" (Aug. 7) is about the art project that veterans are undertaking to help heal some of their psychological wounds. That’s not wrong. However, must it be the top headline, so that a person who walks by [the newspaper vendor box] sees "Veterans shred combat uniforms ..."?

That could give the wrong message to the warfighters who swear to the flag and get a lot of their morale by wearing the U.S. uniform. And that undermines the courage and confidence of those who put their lives under extreme danger to fight for a freer and peaceful world. Such people have no time for intellectual reflections. They must be sure that we all stand behind them and that there is no question about their mission.

The headline is destructive, especially if it has been given special attention by using a picture of military decorations. Such a headline might affect a soldier’s warfighting ability by questioning the "magic" of the U.S. military uniform.

Please do not present headlines that might undermine the morale of the U.S. military. I am not a soldier, I am not a U.S. citizen, but I was shocked by your article.

Gustav B. TilmannSeckenheim, Germany

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