I am completely disgusted with the writers of “Away with prancing unicorns” (letter, Oct. 29) and “‘War Room’ a slap in the face” (letter, Oct. 29) and their comments toward the Air Force’s drone crew. It doesn’t matter what your role or branch is: War is war, and war is ugly.

Everyone has a different way of handling traumatic events on the battlefield, whether they’re seeing it on a monitor or whether they’re there in person fighting or sitting behind a desk on a base.

The drone operators did not once say that they are going through the exact same thing as troops who are deployed and away from their families.

The point of the article was that, even though they are participating in this war from the home front, it is still possible to have difficulties processing what is seen and heard live from the battlefield, in addition to daily changing gears between intense battle and home life.

How dare the writers put themselves and their jobs on a pedestal at the expense of another servicemember! They are all fighting for the same side. Way to boost morale by minimizing your own team members! It’s a slap in the face of every troop dealing with the emotional challenges that come from fighting this war and their family and friends who try to be supportive.

It’s this type of attitude that makes it hard for troops who need help to come forward. What is the result? Record-breaking suicide rates, increases in domestic violence and divorces, and many other issues.

I really hope commands start cracking down hard on all troops, regardless of rank or branch, who make comments like these. They’re doing a disservice to their comrades.

When the writers are out on the battlefield and using the drone operators for assistance during a fight, I highly doubt they’ll be calling them “prancing unicorns” then!

Tiffany Tran-OzunaVicenza, Italy

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