To the editor:

The Nov. 11 issue of the Journal-World included a story on the front page of the sports section with the headline “More war.” The piece was about an upcoming women’s soccer game between Kansas University and the University of Missouri, and the headline was obviously in reference to something called the “Border War,” even though my research indicates that this is no longer the official name of the athletic rivalry between KU and MU and hasn’t been for a full decade.

In 2004, the competition became known as the “Border Showdown” in view of both what had happened three years earlier on Sept. 11 and ongoing conflicts around the world. So not only was the use of the term “war” inaccurate, but the timing left something to be desired. After all, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, and many veterans, while proud of their service, would just as soon not talk about the wars in which they were involved. The use of the term was also rather inappropriate in light of the fact that Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, which covers the bi-state, 41-county area where the real Border War took place 150 years ago, is headquartered in Lawrence. Next time, instead of “More war,” how about showing more respect for our veterans and displaying more evidence of attention to detail.