Remember wars’ civilian victims

Brooklyn: As a nation we must not only remember our own war sacrifices, but our allies, and the many civilians (children, women, men) who were inadvertent casualties. Innocent civilians are always in harm’s way. In wars (whether World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan or other conflicts), civilian deaths occur by bombs, bullets, improvised explosive devices, drones. Civilians die from being uprooted from destroyed homes and from poor health conditions.

Possibly if our country reported civilian deaths and injuries clearly, there would be a hue and cry to work toward peace. It is better to communicate over time for peace than cause human destruction.

Examples of war deaths: WWII scores in the millions with civilians approximately 60%, many by the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. In the Korean War it is estimated that about 67% of deaths were civilians, which is more than 2.5 million. In the Vietnam War, estimates exceed 400,000 civilian deaths; Afghanistan saw more than 25,000 and Iraq more than 100,000. We must also remember the many civilians killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania where the aircraft crashed.

Yes, we must remember.

Recall all fallen

Lindenhurst, L.I.: Honor Memorial Day for The fallen soldiers of war Yet, we shall also mourn What school killings endure Witness to blood and gore Deadly guns blast and roar As all the people cry “no more”

Susan and Robert Davniero

Brooklyn bravery

Manhattan: God bless Voicer and 94-year-old World War II veteran Frank J. Palagonia. If you think about it this Memorial Day week, pass by the War Memorial in Cadman Plaza Park, downtown Brooklyn. Think about those from Brooklyn it honors for their service in WWII— the 300,000 who served, like Palagonia, and the 11,500 who died and give a moment of silence. The inscription on the outside wall reads: “This Memorial is dedicated to the heroic men and women of the Borough of Brooklyn who fought for liberty in the Second World War 1941-1945 and especially to those who suffered and died may their sacrifice inspire future generations and lead to universal peace.” Nancy Brenner

Stop the shopping

Whitestone: Memorial Day is a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered. When observing all the advertisements listed in newspapers, etc.,l for great sales on all varieties of merchandise, I find myself resentful of the unjust way of remembering the lost men and women in wartime. It really is possible to postpone shopping to other times, and also receive discounts. Leonore Brooks

National anthem days

Glen Oaks: I believe that the national anthem should not be Louis Cohen played at sporting events. Playing the anthem at these events trivializes the meaning of the anthem. It should only be played at special occasions such as Memorial Day events and July 4 celebrations.

Fred Fleisher

Corporate patriotism

Plainview, L.I.: The question shouldn’t be whether a football game is the proper place to protest social issues, but whether the playing of a violent, profit-making game is the proper place to use our national anthem to play the patriotism card. Roger Goodell wants the players to “treat the national anthem in a respectful fashion,” even though his violent game fails to treat players’ bodies and brains in a “respectful fashion.” Goodell apparently doesn’t know the words of his (beloved?) national anthem; whose penultimate phrase is “land of the free.” Kneeling during the national anthem would never have been an issue if the league didn’t insist on (inappropriately!)playing it for false, out-of-place patriotism before each of its gladiatorial games. Richard Siegelman

Unsportsmanlike behavior

Utica, N.Y.: So, let me see if I have this right. Donald Trump, Mike Pence and their swamp-filling Republican cronies think that corporations making unlimited financial contributions to politicians is a cherished form of free speech. Yet NFL players who exercise their right to dissent by kneeling during the national anthem are “sons of bitches,” who should be fined and, “maybe shouldn’t be in the country?” Vladdy Putin himself couldn’t have put it any better. And Giants owner John Mara thinks this is “the right thing to do”? He should hang his head in shame. I’ve been a Giants fan since the days of Yelberton Abraham Tittle Jr. and Del Shofner, but after seeing the courage of acting Jets owner Christopher Johnson in publicly standing up to this nonsense all I can say is, “Go Green!”

Jeff Ganeles

Two-faced on Trump

Greenwood Lake, N.Y.: Re “Jack Johnson stands tall” (editorial, May 25): If you haven’t got anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all; I miss the mark on this a lot. It’s no secret that the Daily News hates everything Trump, and that’s OK. I’m a big boy and don’t get offended. What I don’t like is every time he does something you think is right, you immediately follow it with a negative. I’d rather you separate the two lines of thought, or do what you do best and keep bashing the hell out of Trump and don’t bother with what he does get right. Joe Fioramonti

Meeting history

Bronx: One day many moons ago, and us being newly arrived in New York City during the War, Papa took me with him to the Times Square area to see Jack Johnson in a basement flea circus. I was entranced with the flea pulling a minuscule chariot, but Papa seemed to be superdelighted in a friendly chat with the very tall and very handsome boxer, Jack Johnson, who shook my small, grubby hand and smiled as we left up the stairs. Papa was elated. I was so happy yesterday to hear about Johnson’s well-merited rehabilitation, and hope to shake his hand if we ever meet again, wherever, in spirit. Incidentally, Papa, a son of German steelworking immigrants in Erie, Pa., never saw an African-American person until he was 39 years old.

Rose Mary Lancaster

Bad choice of words

Manhattan: The Daily News front page calls Mayor de Blasio’s private emails railing against the press “Trumpian” (May 25). This is a dangerous comparison, because what President Trump does is bellow to the public that the press is the “enemy of the people.” De Blasio is merely doing what every prominent officeholder has done in history — rail to his buddies against his media coverage. Trump, on the other hand, is destroying the public’s faith in news organizations, period. The News has not denigrated the mayor so much as normalized the President.

Peter Lushing

Top amendment

Brooklyn: When there are mass shootings, we talk about stricter gun control laws. There are some who proclaim that their Second Amendment rights are being taken away. These defenders of the Second Amendment do not care that their First Amendment rights are being attacked daily by this administration. President Trump continually tries to stifle the press and now, to please Trump, NFL team owners will fire any player who protests. Doesn’t DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/DAILY NEWS anyone care about the First Amendment? Our Founding Fathers must have thought that it was pretty important to make it the first. Andrea Allen

No color in corpses

West Milford, N.J.: To Voicer Phil Antico: You know, this isn’t a contest. Whether white kids kill more white kids, or black kids kill more black kids, or white kids kill more black kids, or black kids kill more white kids. And let’s not get started with Asians and Latinos. How about this? Let’s get rid of all the guns and then maybe all kids get to live. Betty E. Weisblum

Uncovering Obama

Manhattan: In response to Voicer Bob Cavaliere, who said President Obama “did great things for the U.S. domestically”: I am a registered independent and find both parties hypocritical, bought and corrupt, but let’s keep a balance about Obama. He virtually doubled the federal debt from $10.6 trillion to nearly $20 trillion! To Iran, the leading sponsor of terrorism, he gave $150 billion and the right to build nukes. Now it’s buying weapons from Russia. Against his military advisers, Obama withdrew all troops from Iraq and it collapsed under ISIS which grew out of Iraq’s ashes and expanded to Syria. Obamacare was an “unaffordable” health care program sold to the public with lies that “you can keep your doctor and insurance, period.” Cavaliere needs to brush up on his facts. Manny Martin