When I read the letter in Tuesday’s edition of the Emerald regarding the ROTC ads being run in your paper, “Don’t support Army policies, sacrifice integrity by running ROTC ads,” ODE Jan. 23), I was beside myself with anger. The author complained that the Emerald endorses the U.S. Army and all its policies because it ran an ad for the ROTC. Even if this were true, what’s wrong with that? The policies of the United States military are more strict on issues like racism, sexual assault, and religious intolerance than any private business that is advertised in this paper.
The punishment for anyone found guilty of racism, for example, can range anywhere from a bad conduct discharge to a dishonorable discharge. Secondly, the likelihood of the Emerald publishing anything that criticizes the U.S. Army is, well, pretty good, as we can plainly see by the fact that his response was published. Obviously, the author of the letter feels that while the U.S. Army doesn’t contribute anything positive to society, the Adult Shops or the pipe and tobacco stores advertised in the paper do. I am a former Marine, and as such I took an oath to support, uphold, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, just like every member of the ROTC. I think any organization that has its members take an oath to protect, with their lives, every last word and detail of the document that gives people like the author the privilege to criticize whatever he feels like, produces more positive contributions to our society than any of the other ads ever will.
The University is currently hosting a memorial to the many people who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the many flags on display are 3,000 tiny red ones tucked in a corner. I think an ad for the U.S. Army, no matter how big or small, has more than earned the right to be there. And if anyone has any reservations about this, I would invite them to walk over to the corner where the 3,000 little red flags are.
Jeremy Coombs
University student