Thanks from a retired Army Colonel
I am a resident of Beaufort, a retired Army Colonel, and an enthusiastic and appreciative reader of The Island News. I especially enjoy and use your columnist Larry Dandridge’s articles on veterans’ benefits to help me navigate the complex VA and S.C. veterans’ systems. Larry’s articles are most informative and simplify things for me.
After having questions concerning aspects of the VA claims process, I called your Larry Dandridge. He immediately talked me through everything I needed to know and sent me a detailed email referring me to the Beaufort County Veteran Affairs Office. He also sent me a half dozen past articles from The Island News that explained all I needed to know about Intent to File, Filing Claims for service-connected disability compensation, Lay Witness Statements, Evidence Needed, Compensation and Pension Exams, VSOs, and more.
Larry even called me the next day to see if I had any questions with the information he sent me the day before. I’m most grateful to The Island News and Lt. Col. Larry Dandridge, U.S. Army (Ret.), for helping my fellow veterans and me every week through your articles.
I know that the VSOs are overwhelmed with calls for help from military members, veterans, and their families, and it is people like Larry and your newspaper who are serving a desperately needed role in helping veterans like me until we can get an appointment with a VSO.
The Island News and Larry deserve public service and writing award recognition for their valuable support of our military members, veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors.
— Col. Howard Born, U.S. Army (Ret.)
re: U.S. 278 Corridor improvements
I just read the article by Lolita Huckaby about U.S. 278 improvements in today’s The Island News.
I voted against the one-cent sales tax that would have raised $950 million for transportation projects. Of that amount $190 million would have gone to US 278 improvements including a replacement bridge to Hilton Head.
I suggest that a toll be imposed on the bridge to Hilton Head that would raise the $190 million needed to match the state’s $120 million. It makes sense that users of U.S. 278 pay for improvements to U.S. 278. A user fee is the fairest mechanism to raise the local funds for this project.
— Paul Smith, Beaufort
‘It’s morning in America’
The printing in the Nov. 28 edition of The Island News of M.Z. Thwaite’s conservative commentary is welcomed by this voter in the hope that you will continue political even-handedness. Her explanation of the reasons Donald Trump won the election was thorough and accurate. Liberals should join the majority of U.S. voters to correct the problems created in America the last four years. As Ronald Regan advertised during his second campaign: “It’s morning in America.”
— James P. Atkins, Beaufort
Support funding for cultivated-meat research
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming the first child in the United States has tested positive for bird flu, our political leaders should, among other things, consider a massive increase in public funding for cultivated-meat research.
For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from livestock cells. Since animals are removed from the process, the risk of zoonotic pandemics would be dramatically reduced.
Though the new protein has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, it is currently too expensive to mass produce. Further development in the field of cellular agriculture could overcome these cost barriers. Any politician, at either the state or federal level, who cares about preventing future pandemics, should support government funding for cultivated-meat research.
— Jon Hochschartner
Feeding us truth and facts
Great piece about Lutheran refugee ministry efforts in South Carolina that was wisely picked up by The Island News here in Beaufort. There are so many conspiracy fed stories that misinform the public about refugees and immigrants and asylum seekers, that your story helps to dispel.
And, altogether appropriate that the family described are Afghani, considering this state’s donation of soldiers to the military that found itself in Afghanistan. People forget. If you look at the Cambodian, Lao and Vietnamese here in S.C. including the Lowcountry — another infusion of great cultures to our surround that resulted from another war.
Keep up the good work. You are feeding us truth and facts and cannot but help make this a better, more loving place. … Have a good holiday. You are making things better.
— Tim Dodds, Lady’s Island
Opportunity cost
My previous letter was written as an example of critical, strident, and divisive rhetoric that has become too common in recent times. A typical response you see every day that divides friends, family, and neighbors. Citizens of good will are often polarized by the political rhetoric. This is Page 2 to suggest a better way.
My point is that instead of criticizing, name calling, and negative responses when someone has a different viewpoint, we need positive feedback to other people and constructive discussions. Welcome different opinions and perspectives. Make conversations civil again. Remember not long ago when we could discuss politics and national issues with each other with no hard feelings? Let’s do that again.
And after elections, let’s form up as Americans, together, united, and working together to make things better. There’s an opportunity cost to writing, worrying, and complaining about national or global problems. The cost is we lose the opportunity to use that time and energy on local matters we can influence. We can’t solve national problems anyway, but we can help solve local problems like improving the schools and help your church feed the hungry.
America has survived many difficult times over our long history but we have always endured and found that our strength is in our unity as one.
— Jerry Floyd, St. Helena Island
