Nov 10, 2012 2 min read

On Oct, 18, there was a shooting in the Shop ‘n Save parking lot in Washington and a man died.

Brandon Thomas, the shooter, was taken into custody. A veteran of the Afghanistan war, Brandon has been highly decorated. We need to remember veterans like him have been trained to kill. When they come back to civilian life, this training is no doubt still on their minds.

Most of us have never been in a war zone and have no idea what these vets went through. They have been through hell and back here on Earth.

I think our government has failed to give these veterans, and veterans of other wars, the help and care they need.

Maybe if these vets would become members of an American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars post and be around veterans with similar experiences, they would have somebody to talk to who would understand them.

The Claysville American Legion post is a close-knit group. We are for all veterans and their families. This is our number one concern. After that, we are community-oriented.

I’m not saying Brandon was right in what he did, and I’m not saying he was wrong. I don’t know. All I’m saying is combat veterans deserve more from our government.

Elden Morris

Claysville

(Morris is the commander of Claysville’s American Legion post).