To the Editor,

I am a 14-year military veteran. I fought in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I was deeply offended at last night's [May 21] concert [at Lower Macungie Middle School].

Let me quote the song "John Brown" sung by a young man last night.

"Oh, his face was all shot up and his hand were blown away

And he wore a metal brace around his waist

He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she didn't know

And she couldn't even recognize his face

"Oh, tell me, my darling son, tell me what they've done

How is it that you come to be this way?"

He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move

And his mother had to turn her face away

"Don't you remember, ma, when I went off to war

You thought it was the best thing I could do?

I was on the battleground, you were home, acting proud

You weren't there standing in my shoes

And I thought when I was there, Lord, what am I doing here?

Tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'

But the thing that scared me most, when my enemy came close

I can see that his face looked just like mine"

And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink

I was just a puppet in a play

And through the roar and smoke, this string, it finally broke

And a cannon ball blew my eyes away"

What are we to take from these lyrics the week before Memorial Day? While other schools are singing songs of patriotism, valor, and gratitude, what is heard from our own LMMS?

Soldiers are puppets?

They fight and kill for glory and medals?

Moms are to blame, because they encourage their sons to go to war so they can brag on them while they are gone?

My children were with me. They lived through my deployments and worried about me coming home injured or worse. This song was inappropriate for an audience that includes children. I have friends who died or were disfigured, this song does not honor them. Do you believe hand amputations and eyes blown apart is appropriate content for a family concert?

To some, Bob Dylan is seen as a great protester and poet. I see him as ungrateful for his freedom and unpatriotic. He often characterizes soldiers as villains. Let me quote his other song "Masters of War",

"And I hope that you die

And your death'll come soon

I will follow your casket

In the pale afternoon

And I'll watch while you're lowered

Down to your deathbed

And I'll stand over your grave

'Til I'm sure that you're dead."

War is a horror, but never attack the soldier who fought for his family, country, and freedom.

I believe song's like this one contributed to the poor treatment of soldiers who returned from the Vietnam War.

The faculty should screen the content of their music. I do not blame the student, I blame the faculty. If this egregious lack of oversight happens again, I will pull my children from your music program and put them in a program with higher standards.

W. Scotty Coyle