Readers write
Another war has veterans reliving trauma
As an Atlanta-based Purple Heart veteran, I watched the recent news of escalating Middle East strikes with a heavy sense of déjà vu. In 2007, a sniper’s bullet in Iraq changed my life and sent my mother into a yearslong vigil by my hospital bed.
Today, that vigil has restarted. My younger sister is currently active-duty Army, preparing for the reality of this 2026 conflict. My mother’s greatest fear isn’t just the headlines — it’s the “generational echo” of having a second child face the same battlefield two decades later.
As a national ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), I see the mental health toll this “War on Terror 2.0” is taking on our local veteran community. We aren’t just watching a geopolitical shift; we are reliving our own trauma through our siblings and children.
Atlanta is a military town. We must recognize that the cost of war isn’t just paid in 2007 or 2026 — it is a continuous tax on the families who serve across generations. We owe it to our service members and their mothers to ensure they aren’t forgotten when the cameras turn off.
DAVID KENDRICK, ATLANTA
Not surprising, Trump’s plea for help goes unmet
President Donald Trump’s plea for other countries to send military ships to help open the Strait of Hormuz is being rebuffed by European countries, Japan and Australia.
It is not surprising because President Trump unilaterally started his “little excursion” into Iran without consulting any allies except Israel beforehand.
European countries are focused on defending Ukraine, where Russia is a direct threat. Europeans are not willing to expend assets to help President Trump in Iran, thereby cutting into their aid for Ukraine. President Trump is willing to help Russia, which is helping Iran try to kill Americans.
Undoubtedly, Europeans remember President Trump lifting oil sanctions on Russia and repeatedly supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine. They also remember President Trump threatening to invade Greenland. They remember his tariffs. They remember Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech in 2025 criticizing and belittling our NATO allies. It is no surprise that no one is hurrying to help President Trump extract himself from his “little excursion.”
President Trump is focused on extricating himself from his “little excursion” while oil, gasoline and diesel prices rise. He is winning the military excursion overwhelmingly, but that does not equate to a political victory which he craves.
ANTHONY L. “TONY” COCHRAN, ATLANTA
Put a little more sunlight on sexual harassment bill
The AJC’s Politically Georgia reports that the Georgia State Senate unanimously approved a bill that includes an amendment to make sexual harassment settlements involving state lawmakers public. Good for them. I hope the House passes it as well. But more sunlight is needed.
The Georgia Legislature needs to make itself and all legislators subject to the Georgia Open Records Act. That they continue to exclude themselves should make us all wonder what it is they are hiding. State Sen. Randy Robertson is quoted as saying, “Let us be willing to have ourselves looked at.” He’s got that right; we the people deserve transparency.
DUANE M. FORD, COVINGTON
