To the editor:

I have spent the last several days in self-defense of our Veterans of Foreign Wars awards program. I have had to explain to post members and answer phone calls from the public that our award to Officer Peck was presented August 2002 for his service during 2001, long before any knowledge of this current situation. By the Journal-World tagging our name to this article, everyone was left with the impression that we (VFW) endorse Officer Peck’s alleged situation.

WRONG!

Let everyone know that, in all of our community awards programs, we seek out today’s leaders with information given to us at that time. In your quest to dream up headlines to sell your papers, you have accomplished in one day with one article, to diminish a positive program four years in the making. What relevance does the alleged actions of Officer Peck have to our VFW program? Our VFW does tremendous things for this community. Our veterans need more positive exposure of the good things we do. However, despite our notifying you of them, you don’t show up to cover our events. After all, because of the veterans, you are able to write what you do.

Vern Russell,

commander,

VFW post 852,

Lawrence