To the Editor:

I usually stay away from the first of the month political rant opinion letters, but I feel I must respond to Charlie Flowers’ letter of July 5.

The subject was whether public service was equivalent to military service as service to our United States.

Mr Flowers stated, “While I never served in the military, I was never in a draft position, as Trump was. I feel I have served, by 20 years on the Iroquois School Board,eight years as Beadle County commissioner, 14 years as a state legislator and eight years lobbying for small and mid-sized schools, along with nearly 30 years on the local fire department.”

Our son-in-law is retired from the Army Reserve. He served in Operation Desert Storm, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving in Iraq in 2006, he was wounded by mortar fire. As a result of those injuries he has TBI, PTSD, and is legally blind. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Despite his difficulties he was active in the Army Warrior Games and the Invictus Games. He worked his way up the ranks of the SD VFW to become the SD VFW State Commander in 2019, still serving our country that had demanded so much of him. We are so thankful that our son-in-law is still basically himself, but he still suffers from his injuries, has terrible migraines, depression, and other physical problems, and could no longer continue his career as a firefighter and EMT. He and our daughter and their family have had to learn to live with their “new normal.”

I give all due respect to those in public service and thank them for for serving, but no, Mr. Flowers, it is not the same.

Linda J Cameron
Huron