To the Editor:

There was a very interesting editorial in the Providence Journal recently. It described the behavior of a group of pro-abortion activists at an anti-abortion rally held in Providence. The pro-abortion demonstrators were described as unruly, while the anti-abortion demonstrators were depicted as innocent victims. The theme of the editorial was that tolerance should be displayed instead of chaos.

Most average citizens of this once great nation have come to accept the premise that there is no longer any type of tolerance in this country. Beginning in the mid 1960s, it became a well-known fact that only certain entities are allowed to voice their opinions and others will be shouted down if they try to express a view. They will be shouted down and labeled the vile names that are meant to frighten us into submission.

Most of us realize that society has reached a level of depravity that there is no rescue from, so we simply wait and see what new absurdity will be presented to us and basically force-fed to us.

There was a time, in our once great nation, when this was not so. There was once a bright and shining organization where a person was recognized for their merit and not their ability to ingratiate and grovel their way up the chain of command by fraudulent methods. That organization was the United States Military.

That is no longer the case. Today, the U.S. Military has succumbed to the evils and degradation of society and employs the same dastardly methods to control those who do not conform. Today, in many units, not all, but many, to voice one’s opinion is equivalent to signing one’s own death warrant. To voice one’s opinion can lead to harassment, ridicule and alienation.

Only certain individuals are allowed to have opinions, and if you try to interject an opinion that is not agreed upon by the many, you will quickly see how your so-called “God-given rights” will be trampled upon and pushed aside.

The same can be said for the awarding of medals, citations and combat-related devices. Those in charge dictate who receives what, whether they deserve it or not. Many officers abuse their authority and will issue awards under fraudulent conditions and are never asked to explain their reasoning. This is because there is no real reasoning, simply their desire to exalt others while humbling many who truly deserve the awards. Anyone who challenges their decision will be met with ridicule and scorn, so most of their ridiculous decisions stand the test of time.

Most of us accept this type of behavior because it has become the norm, while true ethical behavior has become a thing of the past. An incident has recently surfaced involving members of a unit I deployed to Iraq with back in 2007. According to regulations, the entire group should have received a certain award. Sadly, due to the incompetence and pettiness of the unit that we were attached to, a unit based in Massachusetts, we were denied the award. Oddly, members of the unit that were from Massachusetts were given the award. Inquiries made by one member of the group, not presented with the award, were met with ridicule, scorn and outright revulsion. No real explanation of why or how this was allowed to happen was given. Such is the way of our new military, a sad state of affairs for future individuals interested in serving this once great nation.

Sgt. John Cervone (Retired)
North Providence