“Band of Brothers” lost another hero on Jan. 2. I was sad to see — in a very small side note, mind you — that Maj. Dick Winters quietly passed into the great beyond on Jan. 2 at age 92.

After all that he came to symbolize through the “Band of Brothers” book and TV miniseries, I was shocked to see that Stars and Stripes, along with most notable news sources, did not carry the story [until a brief mention in its Jan. 11 Europe edition].

Winters was a shining example of selfless service, duty, honor, country — all the aspects of an officer and leader that we hope to define our careers by. We all have a limited time to make our mark — gratefully, Winters made his at a time when the world needed it most.

To sum it up, in the words of one of his soldiers, Floyd Talbert (while recovering from war wounds in an Indiana hospital), “You are loved and will never be forgotten by any soldier that ever served under you.”

God Bless you, Maj. Winters — thank you for your service.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gordon Cimoli

Joint Base Andrews, Md.

True cost in breaking contract

I fail to understand how enforcing “don’t ask, don’t tell” cost the government $53,000 a dismissal (“Gay ban cost U.S. $53,000 per dismissal,” article, Jan. 22). What costs the government $53,000 is an individual who enters into a contract with the government, then breaks that contract through his behavior.

In private industry that individual would be held to the costs associated with his discharge (removal), and the cost to replace him (impact on the company). The government is simply enforcing the laws passed by Congress.

Ken O’Brien

Baghdad

Migrated