The writer of "Away with prancing unicorns" (letter, Oct. 29) chose his profession, just like the many others in the all-volunteer armed services and all these professions who support and sustain one another.

No doubt the unmanned aerial vehicle program is a necessity for the ground and air forces alike, with countless success stories running the entire gamut of the war effort.

Go ahead, take something that’s effective in your job and slam it because you chose an end-user operational specialty that affords little material reward. Perhaps it would better gratify the letter writer if the military machine that established this program hired a designated combatant to shoot at these guys while they provide him with much-needed combat support.

Tim OrganAl Asad, Iraq