The front-page story “Serving his country and testing his faith” (March 25) did not strike me in any way as being fair or balanced. In fact, it seemed more like an opinion piece with a poorly concealed agenda rather than a news article.

At the very minimum, I would expect stories published in Stars and Stripes to get the military details correct. Army soldiers go through basic training, not boot camp.

In the article, Spc. Zachari Klawonn is described as a model soldier. Why? Because he’s in good shape, he can shoot, and his record is “impossibly clean.” That’s right. It seems because he’s stayed out of trouble and is never late to formation, his record is impossibly clean.

But the most troubling aspect of the story is this fact: In addition to Klawonn, two other Muslim soldiers were interviewed, and neither reported having any problems.

Some people are just not suited for military life. Maybe Klawonn is one of them, despite his “impossibly clean” record.

Mark DowdeyKandahar, Afghanistan

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