
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 29, 1990                   TAG: 9006290694
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

MORE BATTLES FOUGHT THAN JUST ON D-DAY

THERE WERE a lot more landings made and battles fought than on D-Day in France. Robert E. Kesler (letter June 16) was disappointed because the paper was not full of this on June 6.

Let's be fair to all branches of the service. I have read about D-Day in the Roanoke paper for the past 45 years. Let's pay tribute to all veterans one day a year and leave well enough alone.

Try to explain to some mother who has a son still in Iwo Jima, with a small wooden cross on his grave, which day was most important to her.

How many people do you think in Roanoke except ex-Marines and family know that we had more casualties on Iwo Jima - 6,821 killed, 19,217 wounded - than the total at Normandy on D-Day?

\ W.C. MITCHUM JR.\ PFC. 11th Marines, 1st Division\ ROANOKE

by CNB