Veteran displeased with content, timing of Magliano column

I wanted to express my extreme displeasure at the column “A Catholic reflection on Memorial Day” (CR, June 3).

First, the title is inaccurate and misleading. It purports to represent its extreme pacificism as a universally accepted Catholic perspective. In fact, it represents only a small minority of opinion.

Second, its timing is especially poor. As a Catholic veteran, I find the overall tone of the article offensive and the timing of the article to be especially insulting. Memorial Day commemorates the sacrifice of the honored dead, both Catholic and non-Catholic, who made the supreme sacrifice in the name of freedom. It is only through their selfless service in the past and their continuing struggle on our behalf today that those such as Tony Magliano can continue to practice their religion and express their opinions in the press.

Third, we are in the midst of a great struggle with the forces of evil even today. These oppressors are those responsible for mass murder of thousands of our fellow citizens on our own soil less than 10 years ago. They will stop at nothing to destroy us, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. Thank God for those who stood up for our country in the past, most especially for those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. God bless the service members today and in the future who go in harm’s way to promote the cause of freedom.