Dear Editor:

As veterans of our nation, we are asking for your help. We are currently at war although many people don't realize it. We have thousands of young men and women who are in harm's way every day; yet, we live our lives in peace and sometimes forget about our soldiers. The elimination of the draft has separated so many of us from the horrors of war that sometimes we forget that many of our country's children are in foreign lands in danger. They are frightened, lonely and homesick. It doesn't matter if you are for or against this war, the war exists and our troops need our support.

The American Legion in Babylon Village, like many other Legions, sends "care packages" to our troops. The daily items that you and I take for granted are in these packages...soap, shampoo, cookies, phone cards, shaving items, etc. They are comfort items for our soldiers. They can't go to the local drug store to buy these things. A little piece of "home" means a lot when you are in a foreign land and fighting for your life and the ideals of your country. This is especially important when the war is very controversial like this one. We need to show our enlisted men and women that, no matter what, we care about them.

We are writing to you because an issue occurred in Babylon Village that we feel you should be aware of. The American Legion does not have huge fundraisers. We often finance our own "support the troops" projects and rely on the generosity of citizens. For many years, the American Legion had a table at the Babylon Beautification Society Fair where we asked people for donations to help support the troops. The residents were always supportive and generous. However, this year the Board of Directors of the Babylon Beautification Society told us that we could not have our table at the Fair. In fact, they said that none of the organizations that raise money for worthy causes could be there - Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, etc. We met with them and they felt that all money raised that day should go to the Babylon Beautification Society.

The Beautification Society is the organization that purchases all the flowers that decorate our Village, and we are all very appreciative. However, we were surprised to hear that flowers would be more important than our troops. And, we found it very hard to believe that if someone gave $1 to the American Legion that they would not buy a hot dog—where the money goes to the Beautification Society. There was nothing we could say or do to get them to understand that we were at war and our troops needed our support. We also couldn't believe that the feelings of these few people represented the people of Babylon Village.

There were many veterans from around Suffolk who wanted to demonstrate at the Fair but we discouraged them. Just as we love our country, we love our Village. We were hoping that there would be a resolution before the Fair, but it did not happen. We asked the Masonic Temple if we could set up our table on their property and they said yes. So we were there, but not in a very visible place and not part of the Fair. And we collected far less money than usual. The Board of the Beautification Society expressed their disapproval at our presence but we stayed. We are proud veterans, and know what it's like to be in a foreign land longing for the feel of home.

We are asking Babylon Village residents to let the Board of Directors of the Babylon Beautification Society know that this is not acceptable to you. We have never seen the citizens of Babylon Village turn their backs on someone in need and we don't think that they want to start now. And if you feel you can, please give a small donation so that we can send packages to our soldiers in need, some of whom are Babylon Village residents. Mail it to the American Legion, 22 Grove Pl., Babylon NY 11702. Thank you for your support and God bless and watch over our troops.

Commander Richard Grispino,

American Legion Post 94

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