Refusal of poppies misplaced

Re Why I no longer wear a poppy, Letter, Nov. 11 While attending the Remembrance Day service at my retirement village, my mind kept returning to Alison Griffiths’s letter outlining the reason as to why she will no longer wear a poppy.

Most people would agree that women’s war efforts are not recognized to the same degree as male soldiers. However, her refusal to wear a poppy is an insult to the memory of anyone who lost their life in battle and a slap in the face to our surviving veterans and those who are in active service at the present time. Thousands of soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy living in freedom in the greatest country in the world.

There are other ways in which the efforts of wives and mothers during times of war can be honoured and remembered. Refusing to wear a poppy shouldn’t be one of them. Dorothy Graves, Mt. Hope, Ont. Although I agree with Alison Griffiths’s sentiment, I believe she is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Those who went to fight gave the ultimate sacrifice. That’s not to diminish the travails of those at home. My own father was unfit for service, but was a Ron the Riveter in an aircraft factory. He worked the night shift and then “slept” on the five hour train journey back to London to try and keep his business going. He said he often wished he’d find the place blown up as he was too tired to continue. Sandra Hanmer, Hamilton